a small rant against 'yeast extract'

[Fiona]

I just need to let this out before I start throwing things in the store!

Yeast extract! Why, why do so many products have yeast extract? What's it's there for? Who cares anyway?

Yeast extract and MAOI diet don't go together -- I can't eat yeast extract or autolyzed yeast or whatever. And I'm not not at all giving up Parnate, it's way too good a med for me.

Vegetarian soup has yeast extract. Non-vegetarian soup has yeast extract. Broth. Way too many frozen foods or prepared foods. Way too many foods completely!

In frustration.

Fiona

(don't worry - yeast bread is fine)

[Grumpy]

Hi

Yeast Extract is really a form of MSG. The Food industry had to come up with some new names for MSG becasue MSG's bad rap. Also see hydrolyzed protein which is up to 40% MSG.

Dave

[Fiona]

Yeast Extract is really a form of MSG. The Food industry had to come up with some new names for MSG becasue MSG's bad rap. Also see hydrolyzed protein which is up to 40% MSG.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Having just returned from contemplating the ingredients of my family's cooking -- I am still frustrated about yeast extract. I don't think it's a form of MSG though, as marmite/vegemite are basically highly concentrated yeast extract. And MSG is fine on the diet.

Still frustrated,

Fiona

[AirMarshall]

Yeast extract! Why, why do so many products have yeast extract? What's it's there for? Who cares anyway?

Fiona

(don't worry - yeast bread is fine)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In the food industry, yeast is grown in huge fermenters and then given different treatments to produce different flavourings. All of these treatments involve the process of autolysis. This process of autolysis (auto-self; lysis-splitting)

involves killing the yeast and encouraging the breakdown of the cells by enzymes. It is the products of enzyme degradation which produce the specific flavour molecules.

In more recent years they have been used to produce flavourings for the food industry. The yeast is grown in huge fermenters to produce biomass - Upstream Processing and then it is treated in different ways to produce different

flavourings. These flavourings are found in most of the savoury snack foods which we eat

[Fiona]

Fiona, thanks for making me research this.  I had never really seen a good explanation of what it is actually used for and how it is made. I was aware that autolysed yeast contained a large portion of MSG, which I avoid as much as possible. 

Good luck, A.M.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks -- I've never had the energy to look it up. The break-down part explains why I can't have it, it's the fermenting/aging/breaking down process that produces the amino acid that Parnate doesn't like.

Still, I could wish it were not in soooooo many products.

Fiona