Marmite and Vegemite are yeast based spreads that people either love or hate. Marmite is made by Sanitarium in their factory less than a kilometre from the school.

For Level 1 Life Science students, a visit from a Sanitarium nutritionist last week was an enjoyable way to have the knowledge they had been learning in class about the properties and uses of yeast, put into a relatable context.

Sanitarium is able to collect the yeast which has been used by large bakeries and breweries and reuse it to make Marmite. It arrives at the factory as a liquid and has salt and enzymes added which kills the yeast and stops fermentation. Spices and sugar are added and the brew is heated to kill any bacteria. It is then evaporated until the correct consistency for spreading is reached. Additional B vitamins and iron are added so that the spread is both healthy and for many very tasty.

There was Marmite available for students to taste and as expected, some loved it and some hated it! For the record, both Marmite and Vegemite are suitable for vegetarians!

Sincere thanks to Sanitarium for their informative presentation.