An Assessment of Yeast Foods and Their Utility in Brewing and Enology¹

1 Presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ, May 18–22, 1986.

Abstract

Yeast foods are occasionally utilized in high-gravity brewing and enology to eliminate sluggish or stuck fermentations that may occur in these industries as a result of a deficiency of a key yeast nutrient such as low-molecular-weight nitrogen. Such foods are especially important when the carbohydrate content in the wort or juice is over 16%. Many yeast foods are now available commercially. In many cases, however, the brewer or enologist is unaware of the composition of the food, the purpose for which it was designed, how well it will serve as a nutrient for the yeast, or even the legality of its usage. This report identifies the major yeast-utilizable nitrogen sources in 15 such yeast foods and the levels of sulfate, phosphate, and major cations in each.

• Ammonium
• FAN
• High-gravity brewing
• Urea
• Utilizable nitrogen
• Yeast foods