Yeast is a living cell that can be found naturally in nature and can be reproduced in suitable environments and conditions. Lesaffre collects this cell from natural environments, isolates it from unwanted components, grows, packs it and offers it to consumers. We can easily say that these yeasts, which are called industrial yeast and used in many sectors today, have been grown in accordance with their nature, preserving their known beneficial properties since the first day they were discovered.

Basically, yeast consumes the sugar as a nutrient in its envirioment and as a result it produces carbon dioxide together with organic compounds. This process is called fermentation. For fermentation, or in other words for yeast to be effective, suitable temperature and ambient conditions must be present. While yeast accelerates its performance at high temperatures, it enters sleep mode at low temperatures. Additionally, the yeast will be more effective if the amount of usable water is higher in the environment. 

Yeasts are generally present in 3 different forms: liquid, compressed and dry yeast. Liquid yeast is the first usable form obtained as a result of the production of yeast. It has around 16-22 DM and has a shelf life of 3 weeks when stored at +4°C. For compressed yeast the water amount is reduced by special rotating drums and dry matter is increased to 30-34 levels. During this process, the yeasts that have become crumbled are then pressed, packaged and delivered to the final consumers. In this way, the shelf life is reached up to 30+ days at +4°C. Dry yeast has 90-96 DM levels with the help of different drying technologies, and the shelf life can be extended to 1.5 - 2 years at ambient conditions with appropriate packaging systems.

If a yeast user can supply liquid yeast in terms of supply stages and operational suitability, the use of liquid yeast is the most effective and economical solution. Liquid yeast is followed by pressed yeast and then consecutively by dry yeast in terms of productivity. The labor costs in the production of pressed yeast and the packaging materials used in the stages of distribution to the market are the main factors that reduce its superiority over liquid yeast. Dry yeasts have less advantages compared to other yeast types due to high energy requirement during the drying phase and the special packaging needed to preserve durability for a long shelf life.

When we examine the Turkish market, it is seen that the majority of compressed yeast is used due to accessibility and ease of use. With each passing day, the use of liquid yeast, which is a much more economical solution than other yeast types, continues to grow in our country due to the desire to reduce packaging waste and the ability to produce hygienically without human touch.

Yeast also varies depending on its functionality. These varieties differ depending on the recipes and processes of the type of breads. Somun bread, which we know as the national bread of Turkey, consists of flour, water, salt and yeast in the basic recipe. The most suitable yeast for this kind of basic recipes is standard function yeast. Some baking products such as açma, poğaca, some traditional sugary fatty breads and croissants have high osmotic pressure in the dough due to their high sugar and fat content. In other words, due to the high sugar and fat content of the dough, much less water is used to create the desired dough consistency. Standard yeast cannot show the expected performance levels in such recipes, therefore, osmotic pressure adapted yeasts must be used. Additionally, mold inhibitors are used in the packaged breads found on market shelves, in order to ensure a long shelf life at the levels permitted by the regulation. These mold inhibitors delay the formation of mold in bread with their acidic structure, at the same time they negatively affect yeast activity. Yeasts that are not affected by the mold inhibitors used in such recipes are called acid-adapted yeasts. Lastly, rapid yeasts have higher performance than standard yeasts and take their place among the yeast varieties in order to carry out the fermentation stages in a shorter time while enzyme-supported yeasts have taken their place in the sector in order to improve the missing properties of the flours and to obtain more efficient results.Bakers should choose the most suitable yeast by paying attention to whether their recipes contain sugar, oil, mold inhibitors, vinegar, etc. 

As Lesaffre Turkey, we produce all these yeast varieties in our production facilities in Turkey and offer them to industry professionals for many years. In addition, our Baking Center team is always ready to support if sector employees need support on yeast varieties suitable for their recipes and production lines.To say a few words about the use of yeast, if kneading takes longer than 25 minutes, we recommend adding the yeast closer to end of kneading. This is how the progress in our industry is currently. The yeast added at the initial stage starts the fermentation process with the effect of water, temperature and kneading. A fermentation that starts during kneading may adversely affect the visual and quality aspects of the products, depending on the length of the process.

In summer, bakers increase their use of ice in order to control dough temperatures and prevent fermentation during the process. In this way, rapid activation of yeast is delayed in hot ambient conditions. 

There are points to be considered regarding the use of yeast in frozen production techniques. Frozen breads are basically divided in 3 different groups among themselves. They are named in the industry as raw frozen (ready to proof frozen, RTP), fermented frozen (pre-proof frozen, PPF) and partbaked/baked frozen. It is the concept that RTP is contunied until the fermentation stage in the production processes and the products are stored by freezing without fermentation. Yeast, which is a living microorganism, is damaged during blast freezing at -40°C and its effectiveness decreases, therefore the amount of yeast used in such processes should be approximately 30% higher compared of fresh production. To tolerate this, the use of yeast is increased. However, the rate of yeast use should not be changed in summer-winter seasons, because a product you produce in summer conditions can be thawed and fermented in winter conditions. In order for the fermentation times not to fluctuate, the recipe should be kept constant in RTP, and production should be carried out by reducing the dough temperature and the production quantities at one batch.

Fermented frozen products are frozen and stored after fermentation. For this reason, there is no re-fermentation stage after shocking. In addition, since the fermentation stage is completed during the production of partbaked/baked frozen bread, these concepts can be continued with the yeast ratios in the production of fresh bread.

Fresh yeast, known as liquid and compressed yeast, is the most suitable yeast type for frozen dough technology. As a yeast variety, it is a standart function yeast with high resistance to shock in terms of stability in shelf life during storage at -18 °C. 170 years knowledge of Lesaffre and the experience of Baking Center experts, enable us to experience this knowledge and transfer it to the sector.

To briefly talk about the trends in yeast market in Turkey and in the world, we can say that liquid yeast usage preferences have accelerated for reasons such as sustainability, environment and waste management, lower energy use, and compliance with hygienic and healthy production concepts. In addition to the these advantages of liquid yeast for bakers, economic advantages also are affected the acceleration.

In Turkey and in the world, the desire to use and prefer sourdough is increasing day by day. In summary, sourdough is a dough that formed by flour, water and lactic acid bacterias for a period time and at a temperature. Lactic acid bacterias can be naturally present in the environment or added from the outside as culture. The origin of the name comes from “sour - dough”. The main task of sourdough is to acidify the dough and to provide its own flavor components. Sourdough can be produced very different flavors, depending on the type of flour, fermentation time, temperature and characteristics of the lactic acid bacteria. In the last period of 2018, Lesaffre Turkey has established first liquid sourdough production facility of Turkey, in Lüleburgaz, together with our very valuable teammates. We are happy to serve to industry by this facility.

As Lesaffre, we are very happy to transfer the components we take from nature back to nature correctly. In addition, we are happy to fulfill our duties towards nature and humanity.

Baking Center is a product development and technical support center that established by Lesaffre for 50 years to serve the bakery industry. These centers ensure the development of products suitable for the cultural characteristics and market expectations of each region. Today, with 52 Baking Centers in 43 different countries in the world, it provides services to bakers with products for bakers needs, solution-oriented trainings and being aware of the development created by sharing. Baking Center teams consist of experienced bakers and food scientists. In this way, it gained the ability to blend theory and practice, and to analyze the needs of the market by constantly taking part in the field. It ıs our most fundamental responsibility to speak the same language as bakers, to understand them and to meet their expectations. That’s why our motto is “baker to baker”, that is “from baker to baker”.

Lesaffre has been serving with its pioneering and innovative approach since the discovery of yeast, providing high performance yeasts with needed features thanks to 170 years of fermentation experience. One of every 3 breads in the world is prepared with our products. As the reference player of the world bakery industry, we create our vision to please people with our innovative bread making and nutrition solutions for a better planet. Our mission to “work together to better nourish and protect the planet” carries us into the future.