[2] "Saccharomyces" derives from Latinized Greek and means "sugar-mould" or "sugar-fungus", saccharon (σάκχαρον) being the combining form "sugar" and myces (μύκης) being "fungus".

[8] While the innovation is often popularly credited for using steam in baking ovens, leading to a different crust characteristic, it is notable for including procedures for high milling of grains (see Vienna grits[9]), cracking them incrementally instead of mashing them with one pass; as well as better processes for growing and harvesting top-fermenting yeasts, known as press-yeast.

[10] Refinements in microbiology following the work of Louis Pasteur led to more advanced methods of culturing pure strains.

In 1879, Great Britain introduced specialized growing vats for the production of S. cerevisiae, and in the United States around the turn of the 20th century centrifuges were used for concentrating the yeast,[11] turning yeast production into a major industrial process which simplified its distribution, reduced unit costs and contributed to the commercialization and commoditization of bread and beer.

Fresh "cake yeast" became the standard leaven for bread bakers in much of the Western world during the early 20th century.

The haploid cells undergo a simple lifecycle of mitosis and growth, and under conditions of high stress will, in general, die.

[18] Under conditions of stress, diploid cells can undergo sporulation, entering meiosis and producing four haploid spores, which can subsequently mate.

[citation needed] All strains can use ammonia and urea as the sole nitrogen source, but cannot use nitrate, since they lack the ability to reduce them to ammonium ions.

[35] The septin and AMR complex progress to form the primary septum consisting of glucans and other chitinous molecules sent by vesicles from the Golgi body.

[41] Limiting the amount of glucose or amino acids in the growth medium has been shown to increase RLS and CLS in yeast as well as other organisms.

Over-expression of the genes sir2 and fob1 has been shown to increase RLS by preventing the accumulation of extrachromosomal rDNA circles, which are thought to be one of the causes of senescence in yeast.

[41] This pathway modulates the cell's response to nutrients, and mutations that decrease TOR activity were found to increase CLS and RLS.

[43][44] Mother cells give rise to progeny buds by mitotic divisions, but undergo replicative aging over successive generations and ultimately die.

During starvation of non-replicating S. cerevisiae cells, reactive oxygen species increase leading to the accumulation of DNA damages such as apurinic/apyrimidinic sites and double-strand breaks.

Mutations defective in genes essential for meiotic and mitotic recombination in S. cerevisiae cause increased sensitivity to radiation or DNA damaging chemicals.

[52] Rad52 mutants have increased sensitivity to killing by X-rays, Methyl methanesulfonate and the DNA cross-linking agent 8-methoxypsoralen-plus-UVA, and show reduced meiotic recombination.

Ruderfer et al.[49] (2006) analyzed the ancestry of natural S. cerevisiae strains and concluded that outcrossing occurs only about once every 50,000 cell divisions.

The relative rarity in nature of meiotic events that result from outcrossing is inconsistent with the idea that production of genetic variation is the main selective force maintaining meiosis in this organism.

[citation needed] Stanford University's yeast deletion project created knockout mutations of every gene in the S. cerevisiae genome to determine their function.

In the synthetic genome all transposons, repetitive elements and many introns are removed, all UAG stop codons are replaced with UAA, and transfer RNA genes are moved to a novel neochromosome.

The giant single chromosome can support cell life, although this strain shows reduced growth across environments, competitiveness, gamete production and viability.

The experiment would have tested one aspect of transpermia, the hypothesis that life could survive space travel, if protected inside rocks blasted by impact off one planet to land on another.

(see: List of microorganisms tested in outer space) Saccharomyces cerevisiae is used in brewing beer, when it is sometimes called a top-fermenting or top-cropping yeast.

[citation needed] Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main source of nutritional yeast, which is sold commercially as a food product.

Owing to the high cost of commercial CO2 cylinder systems, CO2 injection by yeast is one of the most popular DIY approaches followed by aquaculturists for providing CO2 to underwater aquatic plants.

The yeast culture is, in general, maintained in plastic bottles, and typical systems provide one bubble every 3–7 seconds.

[76] Occasionally Saccharomyces cerevisiae causes invasive infections (i. e. gets into the bloodstream or other normally sterile body fluid or into a deep site tissue, such as lungs, liver or spleen) that can go systemic (involve multiple organs).

[80] Intravascular catheters, antibiotic therapy and compromised immunity are major predisposing factors for S. cerevisiae invasive infection.

[81] Systemic infection usually occurs in patients who have their immunity compromised due to severe illness (HIV/AIDS, leukemia, other forms of cancer) or certain medical procedures (bone marrow transplantation, abdominal surgery).

[76] A case was reported when a nodule was surgically excised from a lung of a man employed in baking business, and examination of the tissue revealed presence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.