Is Yeast Lactose Intolerant? Understanding Yeast's Inability to Ferment Lactose
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4 min read
Over 70% of the world's population is lactose intolerant to some degree, and surprisingly, most common baker's and brewer's yeasts share this trait. This occurs because the yeast *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* lacks the necessary lactase enzyme to break down the milk sugar lactose. While humans experience digestive issues from this inability, yeast simply cannot use lactose for energy, which has important implications in both biology and food production.
