Making Vegemite

[sam]

Ok, so I'm starting to run low on Vegemite, and rather than get my ma to sent more, I thought I might try and make some moonshine Vegemite.

I found this info from this guy:

Brewer's yeast is a good source of vitamin B, but live yeast tastes boring, it is poorly digested, and it can even strip vitamin B from the gut. Inactivated yeast lacks the disadvantages, but is still bland. The answer is autolysis: using the yeast's own enzymes to break it down.
Spent brewer's yeast is sieved to get rid of hop resins, and washed to remove bitter tastes. Then it is suspended in water at a temperature greater than 37 C with no nutrients: the yeast cells die, and vitamins and minerals leach out. Then the proteolytic (protein-splitting) enzymes take over, breaking the yeast proteins down into smaller water-soluble fragments, which also leach out.

The yeast cell membrane is unruptured during this time, and can be removed by centrifuging. The clear light brown liquid is then concentrated under a vacuum to a thick paste (the vacuum helps preserve flavours and vitamin B1, thiamine). It is seasoned with salt, and a small proportion of celery and onion extracts to increase the palatability.

Vegemite is sold in a range of sizes up to 910 gram (2 pound) jars, and in bulk in giant tins which must contain about 5 kg of the stuff. Only sissies buy anything less than a 227 gram jar.

Ahh, sweet autolysis.

So my process might go something like this.

- Wash spent yeast
- Heat yeast in a double boiler thing to about 40-50C
- Don't know about centrifuging, so I'll just leave the cells in?
- Add salt, celery and onion extracts
- Simmer

Any tips?

Cheers,

sam

 

[BrissyBrew]

Sam only one way to find out is to try it, but it does sound somewhat time consuming, I would be hunting for some vegimite in the post

 

[sam]

Sam only one way to find out is to try it, but it does sound somewhat time consuming, I would be hunting for some vegimite in the post

Yeah, but so does making beer.

 

[Brewtus]

Maybe instead of a centrifuge, try a coffee filter paper. Might take longer but I am sure that won't be an issue.

 

[Gerard_M]

OK I know a little about this but I also know not to try it in your kitchen. BBQ only!

It is best to use yeast from a beer that has had an addition of finnings.
Don't bother washing the yeast, just run the slurry through a filter of some type. Try a mesh collander, basically remove solids.

USE AN OLD SAUCEPAN!!!!

Add salt and vege stock & bring to the boil, then allow to simmer, stirring as it reduces to a paste.

I had a customer that tried it on the stove top in his kitchen while his wife was at work. It cost him a new kitchen. His wife reckons you could still smell it after he had repainted so he called in the builders to rip out the kitchen & start again!

Woolies have it in the ailse near the jam & honey, much easier.

Cheers
Gerard

 

[sam]

I had a customer that tried it on the stove top in his kitchen while his wife was at work. It cost him a new kitchen. His wife reckons you could still smell it after he had repainted so he called in the builders to rip out the kitchen & start again!

Woolies have it in the ailse near the jam & honey, much easier.

Cheers
Gerard

Ok, I'll do it outside, I'm sure my housemates wouldn't appreciate that inside the house. I think Kraft actually used to sell Vegemite here (Canada) but stopped because they didn't want to make another label with english and french on it (or something like that).

Thanks for the tips. Coffee filter paper sounds good, I'll give it a shot.

sam

 

[pint of lager]

Have no idea about vegemite, don't like it and only keep a jar in the cupboard for guests.

But can comment on the use of coffee filter papers. These are great for filtering projects. Much better than kitchen paper towel, which quickly breaks down and adds fibres to your project.

 

[voota]

Please let us know how it goes!
Cant find it anywhere here either.

 

[brendanos]

Haha this is a great topic, I've always been curious as to how spent yeast becomes vegemite.

I'm guessing Kraft source most of their spent yeast from the "big boys", though i have no idea if autolyzed yeast tastes difference between strains. I'd be inclined to use Coopers yeast for a real aussie conconction.

Definately keep us posted Sam, I'd love to give it a shot too.

 

[Linz]

Ive been thru the vegemite preprocessing plant in Moore Park, Sydney. It was 'washed' in a solution(asssume it was an acid wash) and the waste run off was stored more than 50m of the main building !!!!

it was washed and put into plastic bag lined 44 gal drums and shipped to Vic

The yeast came in 'fresh' in tankers from all and sundry.

good luck with making it.....keep us posted..

 

[sam]

I believe the wash will be important, to get rid of the bitterness.

I made some bread using some top-cropped 1007. When I ate the bread, the bitterness came through (it was that oxidised, stuck to the side of the fermenter and brown, type bitterness). I think I've still got a loaf in the back of the freezer, waiting for a hungry, unsuspecting victim (probably me).

Don't want that bitterness in my mite!

Also, I was speaking to someone who works at Kraft in Melbs, and I think he was saying the yeast came from CUB.

I'll probably try in a couple of weeks with some 1968 slurry.

sam

edit - finally, 100 posts, only took three years

 

[Wortgames]

It sounds like you need a hell of a lot of slurry then!

If the mfg plant in Melb takes slurry from CUB, as well as trucking in preprocessed stuff from various NSW breweries, that's an awful lot of yeast being used.

I know they sell a lot of vegemite, but judging by those stories I reckon it must be SERIOUSLY concentrated down...

 

[Brewtus]

edit - finally, 100 posts, only took three years

Congrats (polite clap)