Cheese Flavour: Formation and analysis
Year: 2011
Type: preprint
Abstract: Considerable knowledge has been accumulated on the biochemical processes occurring during the ripening of cheese, which have in turn major consequences on flavour development . The flavour profiles of cheeses are complex and are variety specific . According to the ‘component balance’ theory, the flavour of cheese is the result of the correct balance of a wide variety of volatile flavour compounds originating from the degradation of milk constituents during ripening . Primary degradation of milk constituents leads to a whole range of flavour precursor compounds which are followed by a concerted series of secondary catabolic reactions that result in the formation of a variety of volatile compounds . Only some of the compounds formed directly contribute to cheese flavour . The formation of flavour compounds is mainly dependent on the enzymatic potentials of the microflora, their autolytic abilities and physiological states as well as on the manufacturing process, coagulant and indigenous milk enzymes . Some factors limiting the formation of flavour compounds have been recently identified . The availability of improved sensory and volatile instrumentation methodologies for the analysis of volatiles have aided our understanding and characterisation of cheese flavour. The analysis of the volatile profile of cheeses relies heavily on the extraction technique used (DHS, SHS, SPME, Thermal desorption, ITEX, HS-trap) as well as the sensitivity of the detectors . The use of GC-olfactometry to identify the odour activity of separated compounds has also served to improve our understanding of the contribution of individual compounds to the perception of flavour . However, to fully elucidate cheese flavour, descriptive sensory analysis should be conducted in tandem . New perspectives offered by analytical developments in -omic approaches can lead to a better knowledge of the potentials of micro-organisms (genome sequence), their global activity and physiology in cheese under starvation or at cold temperature (transcriptomics, flow cell cytometry, release of stress proteins observed by proteomics)
Authors: Anne Thierry, John A. Hannon
Language: French
Subfield: Food Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3041907558