What Is Autolyzed Yeast Extract?

Autolyzed yeast extract can be found in many processed foods.

Autolyzed yeast extract (AYE) is a food ingredient that is used as a flavor enhancer. Although it does not need to be listed as monosodium glutamate (MSG), AYE is in fact an ingredient that contains MSG. It is often used in food products that claim no MSG was added.

Features

AYE is created when yeast cells are inactivated and undergo a process called "autolysis." This process creates glutamic acid. Because the glutamate is "freed" from its bonds, the body does not process it the same way as it does other amino acids. Those sensitive to MSG can have reactions that include dizziness, migraine, nausea and even asthma symptoms.

Misconceptions

Many products claiming to contain no MSG--or at least no added MSG--do, in fact, contain it in the form of autolyzed yeast extract. People who take these claims at face value, but do not read the ingredients label, risk an MSG-related reaction.

Important Information

Food additives such as AYE and MSG are known as "excitotoxins." Excitotoxins have been linked to various cancers, including leukemia. It appears that in persons predisposed to these conditions, excitotoxins can quicken and exaggerate the onset of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease.

References

• MSG Exposed: Campbells new MSG Select Soup and the Yeast Extract Situation
• Truth in Labeling: Sources of Processed Free Glutamic Acid
• Excitotoxins, Neurodegeneration, Neurodevelopment, Migraines, & Seizures by Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.
• Truth In Labeling: The Truth About Aspartame, MSG, and Excitotoxins