Nutritional yeast

<p ><b>Nutritional yeast</b> is a deactivated <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast" title="Yeast" >yeast</a> which is sold commercially as a food product. It's sold in the form of flakes or as a yellow powder similar in texture to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornmeal" title="Cornmeal" >cornmeal</a>, and can be found in the bulk aisle of most <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_food_store" title="Health food store" >natural food stores</a>. It is popular with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan" title="Vegan" class="mw-redirect" >vegans</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism" title="Vegetarianism" >vegetarians</a> and may be used as an ingredient in recipes or as a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condiment" title="Condiment" >condiment</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast#cite_note-0" >[1]</a></sup>

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Nutritional yeast flakes</div>

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<p >It is a source of protein and vitamins, especially the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B" title="Vitamin B" class="mw-redirect" >B-complex</a> vitamins, and is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complete_protein" title="Complete protein" >complete protein</a>. It is also naturally low in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat" title="Fat" >fat</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium" title="Sodium" >sodium</a> and is free of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar" title="Sugar" >sugar</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dairy" title="Dairy" >dairy</a>, and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten" title="Gluten" >gluten</a>. Sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_B12" title="Vitamin B12" >Vitamin B12</a>.</p>

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Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor that is described as nutty, cheesy, or creamy, which makes it popular as an ingredient in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese" title="Cheese" >cheese</a> substitutes. It is often used by vegans in place of cheese. It can be used in many recipes in place of cheese, such as mashed and fried potatoes, as well as put into scrambled tofu as a substitute for scrambled eggs. Another popular use is as a topping for<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn" title="Popcorn" >popcorn</a>. Some movie theaters offer it along with salt or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cayenne_pepper" title="Cayenne pepper" >cayenne pepper</a> as a popcorn condiment.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast#cite_note-1" >[2]</a></sup>

In Australia it is sometimes sold as "savoury yeast flakes." In New Zealand, it has long been known as Brufax. In the United States it is sometimes referred to as "nooch", or "yeshi," an Ethiopian name meaning "for a thousand". Though "nutritional yeast" usually refers to commercial products, inadequately fed prisoners of war have used "home-grown" yeast to prevent vitamin deficiency.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutritional_yeast#cite_note-2" >[3]</a></sup> Nutritional yeast is different from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeast_extract" title="Yeast extract" >yeast extract</a>, which has a very strong flavour and comes in the form of a dark brown paste.</p>

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Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing a yeast in a nutrient medium for several days. The primary ingredient in the growth medium is glucose, often from either sugarcane or beet molasses. When the yeast is ready, it is killed (deactivated) with heat and then harvested, washed, dried and packaged. The species of yeast used is often a strain of <i ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saccharomyces_cerevisiae" title="Saccharomyces cerevisiae" >Saccharomyces cerevisiae</a></i>. The strains are cultured and selected for desirable characteristics, and often exhibit a different <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenotype" title="Phenotype" >phenotype</a>from strains of S. cerevisiae used in baking and brewing.</p>

Nutritional yeast

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