Nutritional Yeast

[mandarin honey]

What is nutritional yeast used for and can it be omitted from recipes without altering taste/texture?

[squidly]

It is used as flavouring as it gives food a cheesy taste so personally I believe it would alter the flavour if it is meant to be cheesy. Is also used as a source of vitamin B12 I think (not 100% sure).

Try the recipe without and see if you like it - that is what I always do. Often I only make half the recipe quantity so I don't waste too much if I don't like it

[Ariannah]

Nutritional (engivita) yeast has kind of a "cheese" flavour. And it depends what you're using it for.

[mandarin honey]

Great. Thank you both.

[Arky]

Is also used as a source of vitamin B12 I think (not 100% sure).

I'm not 100% certain, either, but I believe the B12 component of nutritional yeast is actually an analogue (Same problem with seaweeds and the algaes, when it comes to B12, unfortunately).

I think I read about the analogue nature of the B12 in yeast in Sandor Elix Katz's Wild Fermentation, but I don't have the book to hand, to check this. B12 is a very tricky customer indeed, if one is vegan - just search this board for discussion on the vegan B12 issue in general, but be prepared or a long read...

I have yet to verify whether the following product is TRULY B12, rather than analogue B12, but it does appear to be the real thing if you read the manufacturer's .pdf literature:

http://www.rawguru.com/store/product.php?productid=16207&cat=0&page=1


J.

[jenna rose]

I have read that it's not raw...but why, exactly?

[Matilda]

this has a little info on the stuff...

http://www.efn.org/~sundance/NutritionalYeast.html

[exurb]

this is my understanding of nutritional yeast.

It is grown on molasses (not raw). Then it is also pasteurized to kill the yeasts. (which is why you don't blow up from yeast if you eat it, the way you would if you ate live bread yeast).

re: B-12, sometimes nutritional yeast is fortified with B-12, sometimes it is not. I read that the B-12 doesn't actually come from the process of growing the yeast, it is an addition to make its nutritional profile more appealing.

Yes it definitely adds a cheezy flavor.

I do ok on my cheeses without it by using a lemon juice, a little lemon rind, maybe part of a green onion, some basil, salt, etc... I have also read cheese recipes that use rejuvelac for that cheesy flavor without nutritional yeast.

It is not raw, but many raw books (and 99 percenters) use it as a sort of seasoning to add flavor.