Effect of Enzyme Preparation on the Flavor of Yeast Extract

June 28, 2019

by Jin Zophi

Yeast extract (YE) is an advanced natural condiment made from edible yeast, which degrade the protein and nucleic acid from yeast cells by different kinds of enzymes to produce a series of flavor substances. Angel Special Enzyme is good at the study on yeast processing, and can provide multiple enzyme products for deep utilization of yeast.

Yeast extract

Yeast extract (YE) is an advanced natural condiment made from edible yeast, which degrade the protein and nucleic acid from yeast cells. YE itself can volatilize a variety of roasted and meat-flavored aroma active compounds, such as pyrazines, thiophenes, etc. As a condiment, YE is also rich in non-volatile flavor active compounds such as amino acids, nucleotides and peptides, which largely determine the flavor of YE, and these substances are closely related to the protein of yeast itself and various enzymes used in the production.

Yeast extract

1 Why yeast extract has delicious taste?

Yeast is rich in protein, accounting for about 40-65% of the dry weight of yeast. Hydrolyzed protein in yeast which has the flavor function occupies the main position in yeast extract. Hydrolyzed protein by protease can produce various kinds of polypeptides, small peptides, amino acids and amides, which give different flavors to YE. For example, some peptides provide a mellow flavor for yeast extract, make the taste more durable, prolong the taste retention time in the final product; some amino acid such as glutamic acid, aspartic acid, phenylalanine, alanine, glycine, tyrosine gave YE a strong umami taste. Yeast also contains abundant RNA, which can be hydrolyzed by special enzymes to produce sodium salt of IMP and GMP, giving yeast extract the most delicious taste, and these substances can be obtained by directional enzymatic hydrolysis of enzymes.

Yeast extract

2 How enzymes help to produce good yeast extract?

With the development of modern fermentation technology, the products of enzyme are more and more diversified. In the production of yeast extract, the combination of production processing and enzymes was used to control the distribution of protein peptide segments in a suitable range to enhance the mellow taste.

(1). The combination of complex enzyme and flavor enzyme helps to decrease the bitterness of yeast extract, and produce flavor peptides with certain taste, and various free amino acids are produced to enrich the flavor and nutrition of product.

(2). Amide can be converted into corresponding amino acids by enzyme, such as to increase the content of glutamic acid and aspartic acid to enhance the umami taste, to increase the content of glycine and alanine to enhance the sweetness, etc.

(3). Hydrolysis of RNA by nuclease and the transformation of AMP into IMP by deaminase give the most delicious taste.

In yeast extracts, the use of various enzymes enrich the flavor of YE and expands the types of YE. The continuous development of special enzymes also promotes the continuous innovation of yeast extract industry, making YE products more and more diversified, the applications of YE more and more diversified, and the benefiting industry more and more broad.

Published by Zophi Jin

Senior engineer of Angel Enzyme Division

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