Process of making flavored yeast extracts

A method for producing a flavored yeast extract product by the autolysis of brewer's or baker's yeast cells, said method consisting essentially of:

• (i) providing a slurry with 10% to 14% total yeast solids comprising brewer's or baker's yeast cells and water;
• (ii) maintaining the slurry at a temperature of from 40.degree. C. to 65.degree. C. for a period of from 6 to 20 hours to effect autolysis of the yeast cells and thereby to form an autolysate having a water-soluble fraction and water-insoluble fraction;
• (iii) separating the water-soluble fraction from the autolysate;
• and
• (iv) concentrating the separated water-soluble fraction to form said yeast extract product;
• wherein from 10% to 50% hydrolysate solids, by weight based on total weight of soluble yeast and soluble non-yeast solids, of carbohydrase hydrolysates of mixtures of fruit, vegetable, herb, spice or fungus are added prior to yeast autolysis of step (ii) to enhance flavor of said yeast extract product, such that the mixture of yeast and non-yeast solids prior to step (iii) contains from 5% to 65% by weight non-yeast solids based on the total weight of yeast and non-yeast solids, wherein said flavored yeast extract product has flavor that has little or no relation to the flavor of the hydrolysate as a result of synergistic effects between the hydrolysate used and the compounds found in the yeast extract.