A genus of budding fungi, the various species of which have the power, to a greater or less extent, or splitting up sugar into alcohol and carbonic acid. They are the active agents in producing fermentation of wine, beer, etc. Saccharomyces cerevisiæ is the yeast of sedimentary beer. Also called Torula.

Genus of yeasts that reproduce asexually by budding or sexually by conjugation. Economically important in brewing and baking, they are also widely used in genetic engineering and as simple model organisms in the study of eucaryotic cell biology.

single-celled yeasts that reproduce asexually by budding; used to ferment carbohydrates