Yeast - Where do I find it in Nature?

[jonbem]

This is just a question for debate.
As, I hope, most of us viewing this form appreciate that yeast is a fungus, a question I have is this.... other than in food and beverage use, why do we not see growths of yeasts in the wild. I know I can go out and find fungi of various descriptions and taxonomy, but can I go and find yeast? I understand that I could let "natural airborne" yeast indoctrinate my "sourdough bread". But can I go and find some to speed up the process?
Can any of our much more experienced forum members tell me where I may find, and identify, a yeast. Or is is far more scientific than that.
OH! I do use some yeast (bought in for bread and homebrew) in sugar conversion!

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by jonbem

This is just a question for debate.
As, I hope, most of us viewing this form appreciate that yeast is a fungus, a question I have is this.... other than in food and beverage use, why do we not see growths of yeasts in the wild. I know I can go out and find fungi of various descriptions and taxonomy, but can I go and find yeast? I understand that I could let "natural airborne" yeast indoctrinate my "sourdough bread". But can I go and find some to speed up the process?
Can any of our much more experienced forum members tell me where I may find, and identify, a yeast. Or is is far more scientific than that.
OH! I do use some yeast (bought in for bread and homebrew) in sugar conversion!

This is really outwith our areas of study - for starters the term "yeast" is a vague one - "yeasts" are polyphyletic, that means that they do not form a natural fungal group; they are unicellular which is why we do "not see growths of yeasts in the wild" unless we have super-powers.

The fermentation of apples into cider and grapes into wine is due to naturally-occurring yeasts on the respective fruits - it must have seemed almost like magic to our ancestors who did not have microscopes, culture plates etc. as these little fellows got on with their invisible zymurgy (great word for Scrabble that - if anyone ever gets to use it in a game remember me - you owe me a pint!).

I doubt you'll ever identify a yeast unless you work in a specialist lab - as regards finding one - check between your toes, most of us have them to a greater or (one hopes) lesser degree.

cheers

Chris

PS I just love the idea of your sourdough bread being "indoctrinated" - I trust that it is not becoming imbued with fascist or other totalitarian beliefs

[Chris Yeates]

PS to above - the 'bloom' on grapes is an example of a 'naturally occurring' yeast of course . . . .

C

[fairplay]

Originally Posted by Chris Yeates

The fermentation of apples into cider and grapes into wine is due to naturally-occurring yeasts on the respective fruits - it must have seemed almost like magic to our ancestors who did not have microscopes, culture plates etc. as these little fellows got on with their invisible zymurgy (great word for Scrabble that - if anyone ever gets to use it in a game remember me - you owe me a pint!).

Syzygospora (tumefaciens) - a parasitic jelly fungus.

I win, that'll be a pint of Woodfords 'Wherry' followed by a pint of Adnams and a packet of plain crisps with a pickled egg please Chris.

Cheers,

Neil.

[nightshade]

Originally Posted by jonbem

This is just a question for debate.
As, I hope, most of us viewing this form appreciate that yeast is a fungus, a question I have is this.... other than in food and beverage use, why do we not see growths of yeasts in the wild. I know I can go out and find fungi of various descriptions and taxonomy, but can I go and find yeast? I understand that I could let "natural airborne" yeast indoctrinate my "sourdough bread". But can I go and find some to speed up the process?
Can any of our much more experienced forum members tell me where I may find, and identify, a yeast. Or is is far more scientific than that.
OH! I do use some yeast (bought in for bread and homebrew) in sugar conversion!

Your best bet would be one of the bread baking websites, these will know where they are commercialy grown (as they are for the various yogurts)
Let us know how you get on, I tried sourdough once but prefer soda bread.

[Deb London]

Sourdough (wild) yeast will QUICKLY arrive on airborne particles and also come from within flour, will it not?

‪Making Sourdough Starter‬‏ - YouTube

[Bill S]

Just to correct the comments about sourdough and yoghurt, it is lactobacillus which is used (on it's own) to make yoghurt and in harmony with a yeast to make sourdough. But the rest of the thread is quite right.

They are notoriously difficult to identify (even in a lab), the skins of fruit/humans and food are covered with them, and they occupy bit of a niche in microbiology as most of the expertise on yeasts are from the industrial perspective (apart from one or two exceptions, they are medically unimportant).

Bill

[nightshade]

"Your best bet would be one of the bread baking websites, these will know where they are commercialy grown (as they are for the various yogurts)"

There was no suggestion that yogurt yeast would be used for sourdough, it was just mentioned that they were grown commercially

http://www.sourdo.com/home/our-sourdough-cultures-2/

[the naturelover]

Hi there are scores all arround you in the air on plants and most living things!!
As pints of beer have been mentioned.
Don't forget the use of yeasts in the brewing industry. Some brewers spend lots of money cultivating certain strains of yeast and growing them on from one batch of beer to the next as they impart certain specific qualities to the final beer. Also preventing wild yeasts from entering the brew as these can impart unknown and sometimes undesireable qualities. Hence the use of those great big shiny stainless steel sealed fermenters you see in most modern breweries.
Others use what are called open fermenters (large bathtubs) and activly encorourage the wild yeasts.
So think on when you are enjoying you're next pint and thank yeast for its appearance and taste along of course with water sugar and specific hops.
regards tn

[Hedera]

This brings to mind an old aunt who made wine out of anything - she used to float a bit of toast and some sliced lemon on the topof the pan of fruit and water. Heaven only knows what proof the resulting brews were, but they were very potent!!