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Cheese Flavour

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Fundamentals of Cheese Science

Summary

Cheese is one of the most diverse product types in the market place, with a wide range of visual, physical and flavour attributes available. As cheese is a dynamic product, its flavour is constantly evolving during ripening and the range of cheese flavours encompasses everything from mild bland dairy notes to complex flavours that are described as intensely putrid, overpowering and nauseous. Cheese flavour is derived from a wide range of compounds resulting from the hydrolysis or metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, along with compounds added during processing or directly from the milk. This chapter provides an overview of current approaches used to analyse cheese flavour from an industrial and a research perspective. In industrial settings, experienced graders are used to select cheeses for specific markets and in some cases this is carried out in conjunction with key compositional parameters known to be important indicators of cheese quality. However for research purposes a more holistic approach that encompasses a range of different types of sensory, compositional, chemical, biochemical, microbiological, rheological and visual techniques is typically used. Techniques used to assess sensory characteristics of cheese are described in detail, as are chromatographic methodologies used to determine volatile and non-volatile compounds directly implicated in cheese flavour. Our knowledge of taste and odour-active compounds in cheese and the factors that influence their perception continues to grow in tandem with new methodologies and advances in instrumentation and data handling. Although we understand key aspects of the cheese flavour for specific varieties, significantly more research is required to establish the complete flavour profile for specific cheeses/varieties.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Cork, Ireland

    Kieran N. Kilcawley

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  1. Kieran N. Kilcawley
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Correspondence to Kieran N. Kilcawley .

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Kilcawley, K.N. (2017). Cheese Flavour. In: Fundamentals of Cheese Science. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7681-9_13

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