Is baker's yeast vegan?

Baker's yeast is a strain of the single-celled fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae used as a leavening agent in baking. It is produced through industrial fermentation, where parent cultures are cultivated in aerated tanks using carbohydrate-rich feedstocks, typically sugar beet or cane molasses, combined with water and minerals. Once the yeast cells multiply, the biomass is harvested by centrifugation, washed, filtered, and packaged into fresh, active dry, or instant varieties.

This ingredient is found across a wide range of leavened food products, including breads, pizza crusts, burger buns, bagels, pretzels, and pastries, as well as prepared doughs and dry baking mixes.

Baker's yeast is vegan because it is of microbial origin and does not derive from animals. Fungi are biologically distinct from animals, and the sugars, nutrients, and processing aids used to grow commercial yeast are derived from plant, synthetic, or mineral sources. Consequently, no animal products or byproducts are used in its manufacturing.