Content area
Full Text
Yeast is the term generally applied to a unicellular fungus, and there are hundreds of species now identified. One of the most notable and well-known species of yeast in health and wellness is known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae , which is also known by its more common names, brewer's yeast or baker's yeast. Typically, brewer's yeast is used as a protein supplement, energy booster, immune enhancer, or other vehicle where other compounds can be inserted to create a commercialized health product. For example, one of the most notable positive findings was the encouraging results from a large randomized trial of adults recently vaccinated for seasonal influenza who also received an over-the-counter daily adjuvant modified brewer's yeast-based product (EpiCor(TM)) to prevent colds and flu symptoms. The modified yeast-based product significantly reduced the incidence and duration of this common condition.Yeast-based technology is also being used as a molecular mechanistic model of caloric restriction (CR) with the goal of improving the human life span. The current and potential impact of yeast-based technology in medicine is encouraging and should receive more attention, but the recent preliminary positive results of CR in humans may be in part due to what has been already learned from brewer's yeast.
Key Words: Brewer's yeast, baker's yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, preventive medicine, alternative medicine.
Yeast is a single-celled fungus, and hundreds of species have been identified. The yeast organisms of the genera Saccharomyces and Candida have been the most useful. These single-cell organisms are so small that hundreds of millions could fit in one teaspoon. Green plants feed via photosynthesis, but yeast consume carbohydrates and other potential nutrients, and can excrete alcohol. Essentially, yeast breathe air and exhale carbon dioxide (Davidson, 1999).
Yeast are malleable and adaptable to their environment despite being simplistic in anatomy, and yeast operate differently when making bread or brewing ale. Replete amount of air and some food allow yeast to grow quickly in the dough, and they can produce large concentrations of carbon dioxide. This gas pressure causes dough to rise, and alcohol is a minimal by-product. However, in a basic fermentation housing unit where there is almost no air but higher concentrations of available sugar, yeast switch to a different mode of survival and production by breathing minimally and...