Yeast extract, sauces and broths from Ehlert: versatile seasoning

Sauces, broths, yeast extract, spices & herbs and other food additives can be found in almost all foods. They give, supplement or refine the taste and can support the consistency. They are indispensable in the food production industry in particular. Whether as a sauce for side dishes and main courses or as a stand-alone soup. Yeast extract in particular is a great help here. Even in antiquity and the Middle Ages, people knew about the special flavor-enhancing effects of sauces and broths. Back then, some cooks dedicated entire volumes of recipes to these inconspicuous side dishes. In addition to enhancing enjoyment, many sauces also had an appetizing or digestive effect. Sauces are generally based on particularly aromatic liquids such as wines, oils, dairy products or stocks. These are thickened or bound using various processes. The altered consistency of the sauce also binds the solid food components together and combines their ingredients.

Yeast extract in meat production

Yeast extract, usually available as a brown paste or dried yellow-brownish powder, is a concentrate of the soluble ingredients of yeast cells. Its spicy and savory flavor, which is not yeast-like but more like meat stock, and its excellent flavor-enhancing effect are highly valued in the food industry. Yeast extract is particularly popular for seasonings, flavor enhancers and even spreads. Its high content of various B vitamins, amino acids and proteins make yeast extract, similar to nutritional yeast, also useful in medical nutrition. This extract is also often supplemented with spices and table salt. In the production of yeast extract, mainly protein-rich, specially bred yeast breeds, so-called pure yeasts, are used. These often come from baker's yeast or torula, but brewer's yeast, whey yeast and feed yeast are also used. Autolysis, the self-dissolution of dead yeast cells, is used to break down the cells and release the cell sap.

Yeast extract as a powder or paste?

However, if the cell contents are released by heating in water, this is generally referred to as thermolysis. Plasmolysis using a hypertonic saline or sugar solution is also possible. The results of the different processes hardly differ and can all be used as yeast extract. Only extraction using acid hydrolytic processes with hydrochloric acid can no longer be described as yeast extract. Once the cell sap has been extracted, the initially liquid auto- or hydrolysate must be freed from insoluble cell components. This is followed by further filtration, after which the extract is concentrated and, if necessary, spray-dried. The dry matter content of pasty yeast extract is usually 70 - 80 %, with powder between 95 - 97 %.

Broth and sauces - liquid enjoyment

Many meat dishes only acquire their typical taste through the addition of certain sauces or by cooking in broth. Dishes such as goulash are unthinkable without their classic gravy. At Ehlert you will find a wide range of sauces, stocks, yeast extract and, of course, gravy thickeners. Always offer your customers the best taste with the highest quality. Ehlert only uses the best ingredients and the products of other suppliers also meet our high food safety standards.