You may also know yeast flakes as nutritional yeast or noble yeast. It has become indispensable, especially in vegan cuisine. In this article, we explain what this product is, tell you about its nutritional values and give you some inspiration for the kitchen.
Yeast flakes - what are they?
Yeast flakes are both a food supplement and a seasoning. They do not work like typical baker's yeast, as the yeast becomes inactive during production. You can usually find them in powder or flake form when shopping. Our yeast flakes in the KoRo drugstore taste mildly nutty to cheesy.
Production
Yeast flakes are produced on a grain culture medium or are cultivated on molasses. The resulting yeast cream is mixed with sea salt and flour and heat-dried. The mass is then rolled and ground into flakes. The gentle drying process ensures that all the ingredients are retained. The yeast is also inactivated during the production process, i.e. it is not suitable for fermentation during baking.
Nutritional yeast is not automatically gluten-free, but only products made on the basis of molasses - such as our KoRo yeast flakes. It is not a raw food product.
Ingredients
Our yeast flakes contain a lot of valuable ingredients. Above all, they are rich in vitamins B1, B2, B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 and folic acid. They also contain protein in the form of easily utilizable amino acids and are low in sodium. The quantities and types of ingredients depend on the processing and manufacturing process. You can find the exact nutritional values of our yeast flakes in the KoRo drugstore under the product details or on the back of the pack.
Vitamin B12 is not naturally present in yeast flakes. If you stumble across this, it is because some suppliers add it afterwards and have to state it accordingly.
Food supplement
Glutamic acid (not to be confused with the glutamates produced and used in industry (E 620-E 625!) is a naturally occurring amino acid. It forms a building block for proteins and is important for the body's metabolism. It is said to have a positive effect on liver diseases, diabetes and skin diseases. It is also said to help combat tiredness due to its high amount of B vitamins. Due to its high protein content, nutritional yeast is ideal for athletes and is important for muscle building.
Use in the kitchen
Yeast flakes are particularly popular in vegan cuisine and can be used in a wide variety of ways. Nutritional yeast is mainly used as a substitute for cheese in vegan diets and to make egg-free omelettes. Thanks to its spiciness, it helps to spice up your dishes. The harmonious and spicy note goes in the umami flavor direction. Nutritional yeast is a basic ingredient in many vegan spreads and pastes. Thanks to its binding properties, you can also use it to conjure up great sauces and breading.
Our yeast flakes also go well with vegetable stir-fries, salads, pasta, rice and potato dishes, soups, stews, casseroles and pizza.
Nutritional yeast is often sprinkled over the finished dishes and should not be cooked/baked with them, as the B vitamins it contains are quickly lost when heated.
Be careful when shopping
Nutritional yeast is no longer only available in health food stores, but also in drugstores and supermarkets. It can be found on the shelves under the following names: Yeast flakes, yeast powder, nutritional yeast, nutritional yeast, nutritional yeast flakes or nutritional yeast flakes.
It should not be confused with normal baker's yeast or yeast extract.
As you can see: There's a lot more to yeast flakes than you might think at first glance. At KoRo Drogerie, you can now buy yeast flakes from Germany in 250 g packs - conveniently online.
Have fun trying them out in your kitchen!
