Is it necessary to add sugar when rehydrating yeast?
The proper rehydration of yeast is crucial to ensure a healthy fermentation. As the inner content of yeast cells is very concentrated, it is necessary to use a 5% sugar solution (1,5 lb. sugar in 4 Gallons of water) to avoid an osmotic shock that would cause yeast cells to burst resulting in a starter with very little viable yeast cell. The respect of other parameters such as temperature and timing also play an important role in obtaining a healthy starter, so when preparing your starter make sure to follow carefully the “How to use” directions at the back of every DSM yeast product sheet.
