YEAST
The tastiest veggie protein!
What is yeast protein?
To explain, let's start with yeast: it's not an animal and, technically, not a plant either. Yeast is in fact a fungus, a category separate from plants. More specifically, it's a microscopic fungus (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) grown specifically for its nutritional properties. Through fermentation it produces an extraordinary amount of protein, before being deactivated with heat to make it digestible and super light.
At Small Giants, we turn this sustainable protein into innovative products that are easy to bring to the table every day. So you can add more variety to your diet, with good, convenient protein in your routine!
Filling, not bloating
Biologically, nutritional yeast (and the protein derived from it) and classic baker's yeast are the same thing, but with one key difference: pizza yeast is active and is used to make dough rise. Nutritional yeast, on the other hand, is deactivated with heat, so it can no longer ferment inside your digestive system: this makes it light, highly digestible and bloating-proof.
What does it taste like?
The strength of nutritional yeast is its versatility. Used as flakes or as a flavouring, it releases an umami taste reminiscent of cheese, perfect as a plant-based substitute for grated cheese or for making “cheesy” crisps like our Crunchy Puffs. If instead we isolate just its protein, the flavour becomes completely neutral: ideal for adding protein to pasta, taralli or porridge mix without changing their original taste.
Record-breaking protein!
The nutritional profile of yeast is extraordinary: depending on the strains selected and isolated, its protein content can reach 85%. It's not just about quantity, but quality: it's complete protein, rich in all 9 essential amino acids (the ones the body can't produce on its own). It also has a PDCAAS of 1.0: this strange acronym tells you how well our body can digest and use the amino acids in a protein, and 1.0 is the top score. This means yeast protein is super digestible!
A boost of vitamins and minerals
Yeast protein is also a natural boost of vitamins and minerals: it is linked to B-group vitamins, essential against tiredness, as well as magnesium and potassium, which regulate normal muscle function, and many other micronutrients.
Suitable for everyone
Nutritional yeast protein is a 100% plant-based ingredient, ideal for anyone following a vegan or vegetarian diet. It's also naturally free from the most common allergens. This makes it an extremely safe protein source, suitable for everyone: it's gluten-free, milk-free (and therefore lactose-free) and contains no soy or nuts.
Is it really sustainable?
Nutritional yeast protein is a true sustainability champion, because this fungus doesn't "waste" anything. Compared with a cow — which uses up resources to grow inedible parts like bones, skin or hooves — yeast is a single-celled organism: it does one thing, does it well, and everything it grows becomes food, with zero waste. It also grows vertically inside tanks, taking up very little land. The real game changer? Yeast protein generates a whopping 95% less CO2 emissions than beef. A choice that's good for your muscles and for the planet.
How is our yeast protein made?
Nutritional yeast protein is produced in specialised facilities through a controlled fermentation process of the single-celled fungus it's extracted from. The process starts inside large “containers” (bioreactors), where the microorganism is simply "fed" with sugars. By fermenting these sugars, it multiplies and loads up on protein, fibre and vitamins. Once it reaches the ideal growth, it's washed and deactivated with heat: this step is key to making it super digestible and stopping it from fermenting further in your stomach. Finally, it's dried and the protein is extracted.
There's life beyond canned tuna!
How many times have you asked yourself "What should I eat today?" only to end up with the same sad tuna pasta? Maybe you even tried cutting back on meat, but after two days of tofu and beans you were fed up. We get it. That's why we only offer sustainable, zero-hassle proteins, so you can break the monotony without weighing on the planet or your stove. Because out there is a whole world of proteins, traditional or innovative: just keep them in your pantry to remind yourself there's life beyond canned tuna.
