Yeast extract

Studies in people

• Open question

  Daily nutrient intake²

  Eating more yeast extract spread meant Australians took in more vitamins and minerals, but also more salt.

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.

• Savoury taste⁵

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

• Salt taste⁶

  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 two findings in people. 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.