Yeast extract

Studies in people

• Open question

  Daily nutrient intake²

  People who ate more yeast extract spread got more B vitamins but also more sodium.

How it’s made and used

• Food flavoring uses³

  Yeast extract is used in food as a flavoring, but scientists do not yet know all its possible uses.

• Cooked ham texture⁴

  Adding yeast extract to cooked ham made it firmer and chewier, and it stayed that way during storage.

• Cheese flavour and ripening⁵

  Adding yeast extract to reduced-fat Cheddar made it taste more mature, with stronger fruity, nutty and sweet flavours.

• Savoury taste⁶

  In lab studies, yeast extract was found to contain four new umami peptides that taste savoury.

• Salt taste⁷

  In lab studies, three peptides from yeast extract made low-salt water taste more salty and savoury.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.