Is There Vegan Yeast?

Is there vegan organic yeast and how and where can you buy it?

Yeast is perfectly suitable for vegans. It is a unicellular microorganism that belongs to the fungi.

So, there is no such thing as vegan or non-vegan yeast. Even if some suppliers offer “vegan yeast flakes” in their range, for example. A look at the list of ingredients reveals that these products contain 100 percent yeast.

It is interesting whether it is organically or conventionally produced yeast, as the production process differs significantly.

With conventional yeast, mostly molasses, inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus are used as the nutrient solution. Sulfuric acid and caustic soda are used to regulate the pH value. When yeast multiplies, foam is produced that inhibits further growth. To prevent this foam, synthetic defoamers are used, which have to be washed out of the end product with plenty of water. The waste water is difficult to degrade.

In the case of organic yeasts, mainly grain is used, less often molasses from raw materials. Grains already contain nitrogen and phosphorus by nature, so these substances do not have to be added artificially. Sodium carbonate, citric acid or lactic acid, for example, are permitted to regulate the pH value. According to the manufacturer, however, such additives are usually not used.

Organic yeast prevents foaming by adding vegetable organic oils such as sunflower oil.

The entire production of organic yeast requires significantly less water and the residual process water can be used as a raw material for other products.