Nutritional Yeast

Another source of umami from yeast is known as nutritional yeast, made up of flakes of dried, inactive yeast. It is produced from ordinary baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) that is cultivated on a substrate of molasses from sugarcane or sugar beets. The yeast, along with its enzymes, is deactivated—that is to say, killed—by warming it, followed by washing and drying. The finished product is in the form of a yellowish powder or small flakes.