Improving the flavour of cheese

Reviews the influence of ingredients, processing and certain chemical and physical factors on cheese flavour, and concludes with a selection of case studies on specific product types

Flavour is key to the acceptance of cheese products among consumers and is therefore a critical issue for professionals in the dairy industry. However, the manufacture of cheeses that are consistently safe and flavourful often eludes scientists. Developments such as high throughput genome sequencing and metabolite analysis are having a significant impact on research, leading to the development of new tools to control and improve the flavour of cheese. With contributions from an international array of acclaimed authors, Improving the flavour of cheese provides crucial reviews of recent research in the field.

The book begins with a summary of cheese ripening and the compounds associated with cheese flavour. Part 1 discusses the metabolism of specific substrates to flavour compounds by microbes associated with milk and cheese. Part 2 reviews the influence of ingredients, processing and certain chemical and physical factors on cheese flavour. Part 3 addresses the measurement of cheese flavour. The book concludes with a selection of case studies on specific product types such as hard Italian, brined cheese, as well as low fat and soft-ripened cheeses.

Improving the flavour of cheese provides a unique review of emerging techniques and ideas to control the flavour of cheese. This original book will be a standard reference for those concerned with the development and manufacture of cheese.

Contents

Part 1 Microbial physiology and the development of cheese flavour

• Carbohydrate metabolism and cheese flavour development
• Amino acid metabolism in relationship to cheese flavour development
• Lipolysis and cheese flavour development
• The relative contributions of starter cultures and non-starter bacteria to the flavour of cheese
• Starter culture development for improved cheese flavour
• Adjunct culture metabolism and cheese flavour
• Techniques for microbial species identification and characterization to identify commercially important traits
• Genomics and cheese flavour

Part 2 Influence of ingredients, processing and physical and chemical factors on cheese flavour

• The effects of milk, its ingredients and salt on cheese flavour
• Physical factors affecting the flavour of cheese
• Flavourant-matrix interactions and flavour development in cheese
• Starter culture production and delivery for cheese flavour
• Bacteriocins: changes in cheese and flora flavour

Part 3 Monitoring and evaluating cheese flavour

• Monitoring cheese ripening: new developments
• Defining cheese flavour
• Measuring cheese flavour
• Hard Italian cheeses: parmigiano-reggiano and grana-padano
• Low temperature hard cheeses and semi-hard washed cheeses
• Soft-ripened and fresh cheeses: feta, quark, halloumi and related varieties
• Producing low-fat cheeses
• Modelling gouda ripening to predict flavour development

ISBN: 978 1 84569 007 6