IMPORTANCE OF YEAST TO HUMANS

The yeast species Saccharomyces cerevisiae converts carbohydrates to carbon dioxide and alcohols through the process of fermentation. The products of this reaction have been used in baking and the production of alcoholic beverages for thousands of years. S. cerevisiae is also an important model organism in modern cell biology research, and is one of the most thoroughly studied eukaryotic microorganisms. The useful physiological properties of yeast have led to their use the field of biotechnology. Fermentation of sugars by yeast is the oldest and largest application of this technology. Many types of yeasts are used for making many foods such as bakers yeast in bread production, brewer’s yeast in beer fermentation and yeast in wine fermentation and xylitol production. Yeast includes some of the most widely used model organisms for genetics and cell biology.