Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a seasoning composition which is highly safe to the human body, has excellent sweet taste and first taste, and can be used as an alternative to an animal protein hydrolysate without causing any problem. Means for solving the problem is a seasoning composition comprising a yeast extract obtained from yeast fungus bodies cultured under conditions advantageous for production of alanine, wherein the seasoning composition contains 20% by weight or more of free alanine based on free amino acids.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing an alanine-rich yeast containing alanine at a high concentration and includes: a method involving liquid-culturing a yeast in a stationary phase of proliferation under the condition that the pH of a liquid medium is ?7.5 and <11; a method for producing an alanine-rich yeast by adjusting the pH of a liquid medium to ?7.5 and <11, and then culturing the yeast in this pH range; a method of producing an alanine-rich yeast, wherein the yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Candida utilis; an alanine-rich yeast obtained by any one of said methods; an alanine-rich yeast extract extracted from said alanine-rich yeast; a seasoning composition including said alanine-rich yeast extract; and an alanine-containing food and drink including said alanine-rich yeast, said alanine-rich yeast extract or said seasoning composition.

Abstract: The present invention provides: a method for producing an amino acid-rich yeast containing free amino acid in high concentration; a method for producing an amino acid-rich yeast, which includes liquid-culturing a yeast in a stationary phase of proliferation wherein the pH of a liquid medium is ?7.5 and <11; a method for producing an amino acid-rich yeast, which includes adjusting the pH of the liquid medium to ?7.5 and <11, and further culturing the yeast in this pH range; a method for producing an amino acid-rich yeast, wherein the yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Candida utilis; an amino acid-rich yeast obtained by any one of the above methods; the amino acid-rich yeast extract wherein the amount of a free amino acid is from 7.5 to 18.0% by weight per dry yeast cell; and an amino acid-rich yeast extract extracted from the above amino acid-rich yeast.