Yeast, though small, makes a huge
contribution to the environment and humans. Yeast are the janitors for many
habitats. Yeast is beneficial to food because it emits CO2 and contains a lot
of vitamins and acids that are good for humans and animals. Yeast is wonderful
in the medical field as well as biotechnology. But before all of that- what IS
yeast?
What in the world is yeast? Yeast is
a type of single celled, microscopic fungi that is often found in dirt, water,
on plants, or even on the skin of humans and animals. Breaking things down to a
cellular level, a yeast cell is round and oval shaped. They reproduce by budding (which only
takes about 20 minutes), which can be seen as small bumps on the surface of these
cells. As stated by an article on HowStuffWorks.com, “The
yeast cell is oval or round and has a thin membrane. Under ideal conditions of
moisture, temperature, and food supply, it reproduces asexually, by budding.
When a yeast cell reaches full growth, a budlike swelling forms on its surface.” If
you’ve ever seen yeast that is used for
baking, you might think that the yeast are those small, grain-like
particulates. In fact, those are HUGE colonies of yeast. Think of the entire
population of New York then multiply that number by 3. That is the approximate
number of yeast in one of those crumbs. What is yeast? To sum up, yeast is a
tiny fungus that reproduces very quickly.
Yeast maintain the environment. Like
other fungi, yeast gets food from organic matter. “[…] they
secrete enzymes that break down the organic matter into nutrients they can
absorb” states HowStuffWorks.com. Because
they feed off of organic matter, yeast often cleans up fallen leaves. This
makes room for new growth.
Yeast in very beneficial
in the culinary world. Yeast
emits CO2. This CO2 is useful because it creates air pockets in food. The yeast
in rolls is what gives rolls their airiness. Yeast is full of vitamin B (10%),
iron (1%), and amino and fatty acids. Humans need vitamin B because it helps to
convert food into energy, iron for healthy blood, and acids to deteriorate
food. Humans cannot make all of the amino acids we need in order to function,
and yeast can provide the required amino acids. Yeast does something called
ferment, which is the breaking down of starch and sugar. When the yeast
ferments starch and sugar, it converts them into carbon dioxide and ethyl
alcohol. This happens because of absence of oxygen and is a process commonly
used in making alcohol. Yeast is very beneficial to the culinary world because
of CO2 emission and fermentation.
Yeast in the medical field and the
world of technology has been revolutionary. Yeast is helpful in lowering high
cholesterol. It is also used in medicine as a source of enzymes, which is a
fancy word for proteins. Proteins can enhance immune systems, create hormones,
balance pH levels, send out antibodies, and all that jazz. Both the supplement
of yeast in our diet and the lack of it are commonly used in the medical field.
Too much yeast creates a problem called Candida which, stated by Maura Shenker,
“is a fungal overgrowth in your system that can cause fatigue,
weight gain, joint pain and symptoms similar to irritable bowel syndrome.” In order to get rid of
Candida, you need to cut off yeast from your diet along with sugars that feed
it. Too little iron in the body is easily fixed by eating more yeast. As for yeast behind biotechnology,
alcohol isn’t the only thing that fermentation is
good for. Fermentation can also be used to make ethanol, which is oil. This
makes for fuel that is better for the environment. Once again, we have yeast
looking out for nature, as well as our bodies. Thanks yeast!
Yeast is unbelievably helpful!
Because of yeast the environment is clean, our food is airier, and our medicine
is more advanced. Now I leave you with this question, without yeast, is our
lives easier and healthier?
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