Part 1: Do You Have This “Misconception” Too?
If you had to label “yeast extract,” it would definitely be under “food.”
When you first hear about yeast extract, do you associate it with “chemicals” or “additives”?
Break the bias and stereotypes—yeast extract ≠ food additive.
What is yeast extract?
Formerly known as yeast extract, yeast essence, or yeast flavor, according to the latest national standard (GB/T 20886.2-2021) definition, it is, like salt and sugar, a food ingredient and also a kind of food.
Its source, yeast, is the only microorganism used in quantities exceeding one million tons annually, an indispensable food companion in human life, hailed as the soul of steamed buns, bread, and beer.
Devoted to the development of natural health foods, AnQi, from the beginning, has been deeply committed to food safety. It is precisely due to concerns about “additives” in foods like soy sauce that our yeast extract came into existence.
Due to its advantages of being natural, nutritionally rich, and having a delicious taste, it has been widely used in the food industry.
Here, we must mention our old friend in the kitchen—Soy Sauce.
Part 2: Why “Add”?
Why add yeast extract?
One, to reduce salt; two, to enhance freshness!
How to achieve the balance of low salt and deliciousness is a technical bottleneck for food companies.
AnQi used yeast extract seasoning technology to successfully solve this problem.
Let’s talk about reducing salt first. It is well known that excessive salt intake can lead to abnormal blood pressure in the human body.
The “Healthy China 2030” plan and the “National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030)” point out: by 2030, the national per capita daily salt intake will be reduced by 20%.
Facing this “national salt reduction task,” AnQi, in the upstream of the food industry, took the lead in responding. After years of technical research, it finally found a solution to “reduce salt without reducing taste.”
How is it done? People’s perception of umami comes from the taste buds’ perception of salt (sodium ions). If the sodium content is reduced, the perception of “umami” decreases (and sodium is an important factor in diseases such as high blood pressure). The nutritional components of yeast extract replace sodium ions, effectively increasing the perception of umami by the taste buds. In simple terms, it is the perfect umami “substitute.” It allows people to perceive the deliciousness of food in low-sodium conditions, achieving the magical effect of “reducing salt without reducing taste.”
The main components of yeast extract are shown in the figure, including proteins, amino acids, peptides, nucleotides, vitamins, and trace elements, which are rich in nutrition and can be understood as the nutritional essence of yeast cells.
Part 3: YE Student is an “International Superstar”!
Our YE student (yeast extract) has gained many fans in developed countries such as Europe, America, and Japan.
Public data shows that the annual average demand growth rate of yeast extract in China is more than 10%, and the growth rate in the U.S. and European markets is about 5%. The production capacity of yeast extract is currently close to 100,000 tons globally, and many internationally renowned companies are using yeast extract.
In addition, European and American countries also have clear regulations that yeast extract is a recognized safe food ingredient that can be directly added to food.
In the European Union’s food industry, the “clean label” is promoted using the E code principle. The fewer E codes, the fewer food additives used, and vice versa. In the EU E code, yeast extract is not listed, so YE student is a pure “clean label.”
Part 4: Choose YE, and You’re Right!
YE student is so great, why hasn’t it been fully popularized, and even labeled as an “additive”?
In fact, it’s just because the cost of yeast extract is relatively high. Currently, it appears more in some big brands and high-end products. Some companies can only choose to add a small amount or not add yeast extract.
Now, yeast extract has emerged in various fields such as condiments, meat products, and baked goods and is gradually expanding to puffed foods, aquatic products, and nutritional supplements. Committed to allowing more AnQi fans to have a healthy and delicious life, AnQi is also tirelessly on the road to reducing costs and increasing efficiency.
In conclusion, yeast extract is healthy, not an additive! Choose soy sauce, choose the one with yeast extract, and that’s the right choice!
