Are lactic acid bacteria vegan? Yes, they are vegan!
More and more people are discovering vegetarian and even vegan diets for themselves. Especially when you decide to take this step, there are many questions that come to mind about whether a vegan diet is really healthy. After all, people who eat vegan want to get by without any animal products such as meat, eggs, milk or yoghurt. The debate between supporters and opponents is heated. In any case, it makes sense to find out exactly what arguments are being put forward. After all, your own diet and that of your family form the basis for a healthy life. As a manufacturer of the concentrated organic essence made from 31 organically grown fermented ingredients and high-quality organic primary yeast, we want to do everything in our power to ensure that our customers only consume the best from nature. We do not use any animal ingredients, neither in the selection of raw materials, nor in the fermentation or further processing. In case you want to eat vegan, we can assure you that both our organic essence and our organic primary yeast are purely vegan products . This of course also applies to the lactic acid and the lactic acid bacteria that play such a major role in the fermentation process.
To our organic primary yeast!
Lactic acid in our purely plant-based products is vegan
We have already answered this question in many places, but it is asked again and again. That is why we have now written a separate blog post about it, which already contains the question and the answer in the title. But it is definitely worth going into it in more detail. First of all, we have to correct the misleading name lactic acid bacteria. The sound alone suggests that this type of bacteria feeds on milk. But the name lactic acid bacteria is more closely related to their discovery.
At the end of the 18th century, the world of microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast was still a closed book for most scientists and even more so for “normal” people. But 2-hydroxypropionic acid was first isolated in Sweden in 1780. This acid has been used for thousands of years to preserve and enhance the flavor of foods such as sauerkraut or other fermented products. But as is often the case in human history, the effectiveness of a process was known long before the biological or chemical relationships could be understood. When Carl Wilhelm Scheele was able to isolate 2-hydroxypropionic acid for the first time in the form of a brown syrup, he had used sour milk as the starting material. He gave it the name lactic acid, which is also reflected in the Latin name Acidum Lacticum and in the word Lactate for the salts and esters of this acid. However, lactic acid is actually an acid that is formed in many organic substances through the work of lactic acid bacteria. So it depends more on which raw material has been lactic acid fermented. Sour milk and yoghurt are certainly not vegan, but fermented sauerkraut or our organic essence are.
Microorganisms such as yeast or lactic acid bacteria are vegan
Sometimes, however, the question arises as to whether bacteria or yeasts, as microorganisms, are themselves vegan. These microorganisms actually make up around 70% of the living mass on earth. Without them, life as we know it would not be possible. On the contrary, we even live in symbiosis with microorganisms, billions of which in the intestines alone help us to digest our food. However, these microorganisms, like lactic acid bacteria, do not have a nervous system and cannot feel pain or anything similar. Therefore, they can be described as vegan. This is even more true for yeasts. As single-celled fungi, yeasts ensure that many vegan products can be produced. These yeasts are grown on molasses and their cultures have been used for thousands of years to make bread rise or to produce the alcohol in beer and wine. Just like lactic acid bacteria, yeasts process the starch and sugar in food. The lactic acid bacteria ensure that the molds can no longer reproduce in the acidic environment they create. Yeasts, on the other hand, produce alcohol and the leavening agent for sourdough, among other things. As a genus of fungi, yeasts do not belong to the animal kingdom. Alongside plants and animals, fungi are the third form of living organisms with a real cell nucleus on earth. However, unlike plants, they are not capable of photosynthesis. Therefore, like animals, they must use organic material for nutrition and reproduction. Yeasts are single-celled fungi that reproduce by budding or dividing, which is why they are also called budding fungi. Brewer's yeast is also one of them and is therefore part of the biological classification of fungi. Yeasts and lactic acid bacteria are therefore vegan.
Conclusion: livQ products are suitable for vegans
Vegans want to eat very consciously and therefore collect a lot of information about food before they prepare and eat it. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts are in principle suitable for vegan nutrition if they have been grown on a purely plant-based basis. However, this can sometimes only be determined in the small print if the manufacturer does not specifically use the term “vegan”. Around 70% - 80% of lactic acid is produced on a plant-based basis. When cultivating yeast, nutrients and additives are often used, which are usually produced on a plant-based basis and are therefore suitable for vegans. In individual cases, however, you have to find out more or ask the manufacturer. However, this is not necessary with livQ products. All of our products are clearly vegan and also lactose-free.
To our organic primary yeast!
Lactic acid in our purely plant-based products is vegan
We have already answered this question in many places, but it is asked again and again. That is why we have now written a separate blog post about it, which already contains the question and the answer in the title. But it is definitely worth going into it in more detail. First of all, we have to correct the misleading name lactic acid bacteria. The sound alone suggests that this type of bacteria feeds on milk. But the name lactic acid bacteria is more closely related to their discovery.
At the end of the 18th century, the world of microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast was still a closed book for most scientists and even more so for “normal” people. But 2-hydroxypropionic acid was first isolated in Sweden in 1780. This acid has been used for thousands of years to preserve and enhance the flavor of foods such as sauerkraut or other fermented products. But as is often the case in human history, the effectiveness of a process was known long before the biological or chemical relationships could be understood. When Carl Wilhelm Scheele was able to isolate 2-hydroxypropionic acid for the first time in the form of a brown syrup, he had used sour milk as the starting material. He gave it the name lactic acid, which is also reflected in the Latin name Acidum Lacticum and in the word Lactate for the salts and esters of this acid. However, lactic acid is actually an acid that is formed in many organic substances through the work of lactic acid bacteria. So it depends more on which raw material has been lactic acid fermented. Sour milk and yoghurt are certainly not vegan, but fermented sauerkraut or our organic essence are.
Microorganisms such as yeast or lactic acid bacteria are vegan
Sometimes, however, the question arises as to whether bacteria or yeasts, as microorganisms, are themselves vegan. These microorganisms actually make up around 70% of the living mass on earth. Without them, life as we know it would not be possible. On the contrary, we even live in symbiosis with microorganisms, billions of which in the intestines alone help us to digest our food. However, these microorganisms, like lactic acid bacteria, do not have a nervous system and cannot feel pain or anything similar. Therefore, they can be described as vegan. This is even more true for yeasts. As single-celled fungi, yeasts ensure that many vegan products can be produced. These yeasts are grown on molasses and their cultures have been used for thousands of years to make bread rise or to produce the alcohol in beer and wine. Just like lactic acid bacteria, yeasts process the starch and sugar in food. The lactic acid bacteria ensure that the molds can no longer reproduce in the acidic environment they create. Yeasts, on the other hand, produce alcohol and the leavening agent for sourdough, among other things. As a genus of fungi, yeasts do not belong to the animal kingdom. Alongside plants and animals, fungi are the third form of living organisms with a real cell nucleus on earth. However, unlike plants, they are not capable of photosynthesis. Therefore, like animals, they must use organic material for nutrition and reproduction. Yeasts are single-celled fungi that reproduce by budding or dividing, which is why they are also called budding fungi. Brewer's yeast is also one of them and is therefore part of the biological classification of fungi. Yeasts and lactic acid bacteria are therefore vegan.
Conclusion: livQ products are suitable for vegans
Vegans want to eat very consciously and therefore collect a lot of information about food before they prepare and eat it. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts are in principle suitable for vegan nutrition if they have been grown on a purely plant-based basis. However, this can sometimes only be determined in the small print if the manufacturer does not specifically use the term “vegan”. Around 70% - 80% of lactic acid is produced on a plant-based basis. When cultivating yeast, nutrients and additives are often used, which are usually produced on a plant-based basis and are therefore suitable for vegans. In individual cases, however, you have to find out more or ask the manufacturer. However, this is not necessary with livQ products. All of our products are clearly vegan and also lactose-free.