Question

What is the basis of using yeast in the baking industry?
A) Bubbles of gas fill the dough
B) Bubbles of gas increase their volume
C) Both A and B
D) None of these

Answer 1

Hint: Yeasts are unicellular organisms that belong to the Kingdom Fungi. The yeasts use nutrients such as nitrogen, thiamine and salts like magnesium, zinc to perform its activity. Yeasts are used in the baking industry because of their ability to cause fermentation by feeding upon sugars.

Complete answer:
The yeast can reproduce both by asexual and sexual methods. Under normal conditions, it reproduces asexually by budding and fission. But when fewer nutrients are available, it reproduces sexually. It grows by a fermentation process and thus, it has several industrial uses.

Fermentation is a type of anaerobic respiration that takes place in the absence of oxygen. The sugars such as glucose are converted into alcohol such as ethanol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide released makes the food items ferment and the alcohol is used for wine and beer production. The bubbles (due to carbon dioxide) are produced to fill the dough and increases its volume. This makes the cake and other food items spongy. That’s why yeast is used in the baking industry.
- The yeast is used primarily in wine and beer production for ages. In the wine and beer industry, it is used to ferment glucose for the preparation of alcoholic beverages.
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a species of yeast is also used in the baking industry for the preparation of bread, cake and other bakery items.

Thus, the answer to the above question is (C) both A and B.

Note: Now days, the yeast is used as a biofuel. The ethanol produced from yeast is used as a diesel in several vehicles. This is eco-friendly. The yeast is also used as a supplement in many prebiotics and soft drinks. Because of its nutritional benefits, it is also used as a food supplement.