Healthy Food Database

Nutritional Yeast otherwise known as savoury yeast flakes is produced by culturing a yeast (fungi) within a growth medium usually from beetroot or sugarcane. When the yeast is ready it's heated to deactivate the live cultures, and processed into a powder or flakes. The punch in flavour comes from naturally occurring free glutamic acid produced when the yeast cells are killed and the protein from the cell walls breaks down into the amino acids it was originally made up of. It is naturally occurring and therefore distinct from MSG, however people with a sensitivity to glutamates may react mildly to foods made with this ingredient.
It's used a lot in vegan cooking because it gives the meal a cheesy/umami flavour. The other bonus is that it's rich in a range of B vitamins. Some people are misled into thinking nutritional yeast is a natural source of B12 when in fact it's not. The brand I bought (Lotus) clearly states it is fortified however not by enough to meet the RDI. (Vegans should consider an additional B12 supplement). While a serve (1 tbs) may not satisfy the daily requirement for B12, it does contain a good amount of protein (8.4 g) and fibre (3.9 g).

Category: Condiment

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