Lesaffre has designed www.exploreyeast.com to share information about yeast in all its guises. It explains all the ways in which yeast can be used, including in baking and much more.

Did you know?

  • It may be possible to use the yeast used to brew alcohol to develop a new type of biofuel for cars.
  • One cm3 of yeast contains almost 10 billion live yeast cells.
  • Yeast extract is a source of the highly distinctive fifth umami taste.
  • Two centuries after Pasteur discovered the role of yeast in fermentation, researchers are still identifying further properties of yeast.

Yeast is widely associated with baking. However, other yeast strains can be used to ferment alcohol in wine and beer. Yeast also makes a valuable contribution to health and nutrition. Used in food supplements, yeast and yeast by-products enhance our diet and improve the health of our hair, nails and skin. And yeast is also known for its therapeutic properties (e.g. in stabilizing intestinal microflora).

Further, yeast also plays a role in promoting renewable energy sources: progress in biotechnology is now making it possible to produce new biofuels by combining plant products with yeast.

This site is built around four main sections:

  1. Cooking time: How to bake bread and use yeast extracts at home, with various recipes to try out
  2. The benefits of yeast: The virtues of yeast in health and nutrition
  3. Research: what's new? News of the latest scientific research into yeast, notably as regards its use of a cellular model and microscopic factory for producing fragrance molecules
  4. Learn about yeast in a fun way: Test your knowledge by watching four entertaining animations that appeal to all ages, for use at home or in the classroom

Each section includes a wealth of testimonies and professional videos (John Westerdahl, an American nutritionist, Professor Pierre Desreumaux from the DigestScience research foundation).

The information is extensive and presented in an easily accessible manner, as the website aims to reach as wide a public as possible (young people, general public, scientists, etc.).