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Baker's and Brewer's Yeasts
1 species
Saccharomyces (Greek for "sugar fungus") is the genus of baker's, brewer's and wine yeasts. Its species are single-celled yeasts that multiply by budding and ferment sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide. S. cerevisiae is used for bread, ale and wine and is one of the most studied organisms in biology; lager beer is made with S. pastorianus, a hybrid of S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus. Wild species such as S. paradoxus also occur outside human fermentations.
Cells globose to ellipsoid or elongate, budding multilaterally; pseudohyphae rudimentary or absent, true hyphae absent. Asci do not rupture at maturity and hold 1-4 globose ascospores (formed on media such as acetate or V-8 agar). Nitrate not assimilated; ferments a range of sugars. Colonies grow fast, maturing in about 3 days, flat, smooth, moist and cream to tan-cream.
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Mycology is an evolving science: names, classifications and safety information change as research advances. Entries are compiled from cited sources and reviewed, but may be incomplete or out of date — check the sources, and never rely on this library alone to identify or eat a mushroom.
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