Penicillin (Penicillium) is a genus of ascomycetous fungi of the mildew group. Penicillium glaucum is a very common mould on bread and other articles of food. When grown in saccharine solutions it assumes a torula condition, giving rise to isolated cells, which, like those of yeast, excite alcoholic fermentation. Research Penicillin
Budding yeasts are true fungi of the phylum Ascomycetes, class Hemiascomycetes. The true yeasts comprise the family Saccharomycetes, which has but one genusSaccharomyces, but includes at least ten species. The classification of yeasts is a specialized field using cell, ascospore, and colony characteristics for distinguishing genera, and physiological characteristics - particularly the ability to ferment individual sugars - to identify species. Yeasts are heterotrophic, lack chlorophyll, and are characterized by a wide dispersion of natural habitats. Common on plant leaves and flowers, yeasts are also found on the skin surfaces and in the intestinal tracts of warm-blooded animals, where they may live symbiotically or as parasites. In women, who are pregnant or taking antibiotics, an infection of the vagina and vulva caused by a yeast like fungus Candida albicans, is common. Yeasts are also found in soil and saltwater, where they contribute to the decomposition of plant and algal matter.
Yeasts multiply as single cells that divide by budding or direct division, or they may grow as simple irregular filaments. In sexual reproduction most yeasts form asci, which contain up to eight haploid ascospores. These ascospores may fuse with adjoining nuclei and multiply through vegetative division or, as with certain yeasts, fuse with other ascospores. The most well-known and commercially significant yeasts are the related species and strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. These organisms have long been utilized to ferment the sugars of rice, wheat, barley, and corn to produce alcoholic beverages and in the baking industry to expand, or raise, dough. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is commonly used as baker's yeast and for some types of fermentation. Yeast is often taken as a vitamin supplement because it is 50 percent protein and is a rich source of B vitamins, niacin, and folic acid. The yeast's function in baking is to ferment sugarspresent in the flour or added to the dough. This fermentation gives off carbon dioxide and ethanol. The carbon dioxide is trapped within tiny bubbles and results in the dough expanding, or rising. Research Yeast
Acetaldehyde is a colourless liquid with a pungent, fruity odour. It is used primarily as a chemical intermediate, principally for the production of acetic acid, pyridine and pyridinebases, peracetic acid, pentaerythritol, butylene glycol, and chloral. It is used in the production of esters, particularly ethyl acetate and isobutyl acetate. It is also used in the synthesis of crotonaldehyde, flavour and fragrance acetals, acetaldehyde 1,1-dimethylhydrazone, acetaldehyde cyanohydrin, acetaldehyde oxime, and various acetic esters, paraldehyde, metaldehyde, polymers, and various halogenated derivatives. Acetaldehyde is used in denatured alcohol. In the past it was a chemical intermediate for 2-ethyl-1-butanol, glyoxal, acrolein, and acetaldehyde-aniline condensate. Acetaldehyde has been used in the manufacture of aniline dyes and synthetic rubber, to silvermirrors, and to hardengelatine fibres.
Acetaldehyde has been used in the production of polyvinyl acetal resins, in fuel compositions, and to inhibit mould growth on leather. It is also used in the manufacture of disinfectants, drugs, perfumes, explosives, lacquers, varnishes, photographic chemicals, phenolic and urea resins, rubber accelerators, antioxidants, and room air deodorisers. It is also a pesticide intermediate.
Acetaldehyde is a compound for the intended use as a flavouring agent and adjuvant. It is an important component of food flavourings added to milk products, baked goods, fruit juices, candy, desserts, and soft drinks; the concentration of acetaldehyde in food is usually up to .047%. It is an especially useful synthetic flavouring ingredient to impart orange, apple, and butter flavours, and is used in the manufacture of vinegar and yeast and as a fruit and fish preservative.
Acetaldehyde is a volatile and flammable liquid. It is miscible in water, alcohol, ether, benzene, gasoline, solvent, naphtha, toluene, xylene, turpentine, acetone, and other common organic solvents. It is a highly reactive compound that undergoes numerous condensation, addition, and polymerisation reactions. It is dangerous when exposed to heat or flame; it can react vigorously with oxidising material, acid anhydrides, alcohols, ketones, phenols, halogens, isocyanates, and strong alkalis and amines. It is also incompatible with acids, bases, alcohol, ammonia, amines, phenols, ketones, and hydrogen cyanide. It will polymerise readily in the presence of trace metals. Acetaldehyde can form unstable or explosive peroxides with exposure to the air. It may polymerise under the influence of air and heat, acids, or bases with potential of fire or explosion. It is polymerised violently by concentrated sulphuric acid. Rubber products decompose on contact with acetaldehyde, but it is not corrosive to most metals. It is also known as acetic aldehyde, ethanal, NCI-C56326, and ethyl aldehyde. Research Acetaldehyde
Monellin is a naturally occurring protein which is 3000 times as sweet as sugar and 15 times sweeter than aspartame, but contains only four calories per gram. Monellin occurs naturally in the berries of the West African plant, Dioscoreophyllum cumminisii, and has also been produced in a strain of genetically engineer yeast in Japan. Research Monellin
Potassium benzoate is a chemical antimicrobial (it kills mold, yeast and bacteria) used as a food preservative, especially as an alternative to sodium benzoate where a lower sodium content is required. Potassium benzoate is a white coloured, granulated solid, almost odourless, which dissolves readily in water and has a tangy taste. Research Potassium Benzoate
Vinegar is a four percent solution of acetic acid also containing small amounts of phosphates and other extractive matters. It is generally made by fermenting decoctions of malt, first with yeast, and then converting the alcohol into acetic acid by means of micro-organisms. Research Vinegar
Vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid, niacin) is a crystalline acid found in meat and yeast and produced by the oxidation of nicotine. A deficiency of vitamin B3 causes pellagra, suggesting that vitamin B3 is essential for brain activity and the health of the skin and mucous membranes. Research Vitamin B3
A zymosocope is an apparatus used for determining the fermenting power of yeast by measuring the amount of carbonic acid produced from a given quantity of sugar. Research Zymoscope
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Penicillin
