Current methods to evaluate contribution and interactions of components to flavour of solid foods using hard cheese as an example

Abstract

The flavours of hard cheeses are derived from the balance of odourants and tastants released during their consumption, but the identity, and balance, of these tlavour-inducing compounds is still unknown for most cheeses. This can be attributed to the complexity of cheese composition and its analysis, of the processes occurring during consumption and the variations of human perception and expression of flavours. This review addresses some of the issues and methods being used to understand cheese flavour. It discusses factors which determine flavour release in the mouth, methods of preparation of extracts for analysis, sensory assessment of cheese flavour components and fractions, and of whole cheese, identification of odour active compounds and determination of their relative importance, temporal methods of analysis for flavour release and perception and methods of data analysis.

Kluyveromyces lactis but Not Pichia fermentans Used as Adjunct Culture Modifies the Olfactory Profiles of Cantalet Cheese

“…This result could be because instrumental analyses such as DH-GC-MS have, in most cases, better sensitivity and accuracy than sensory evaluations. Regarding GC-O, this method gives only a first indication of the potent flavor-active compounds of cheese, because it does not make allowance for the effects of combinations of odorous compounds (Delahunty and Piggott, 1995). Moreover, the volatility of compounds is modulated by their interactions with cheese fat and proteins, which differ in the mouth during mastication and in the headspace device.…”

The effects of using a starter culture, lipase, and protease enzymes on ripening of Mihalic cheese

“…' The typical odour of each cheese results from a balance of a complex mixture of volatile compounds (acids, ketones, methylketones, alcohols, sulfur compounds, etc.). During ripening, this balance and consequently the odours change at the same time (Delahunty and Piggott 1995;Pinho et al 2004). The highest taste and aroma intensity values were found in the Raw, Culture, Milk + Lip, and Cult + Lip cheese samples.…”

Multiple automated headspace in-tube extraction for the accurate analysis of relevant wine aroma compounds and for the estimation of their relative liquid–gas transfer rates

“…In fact, there are recent evidences that this could be the explanation of why the same aroma extract reconstituted in different wines, can produce markedly different aroma perceptions [6,7]. There are many other experimental data that support the fact that exactly the same composition of aromas in wine or other products, can produce quite different aroma profiles in the headspace, due to the distinct interactions caused by the differences in matrix composition [8][9][10][11]. Although the exact sensory implications of the aforementioned observations are far from being well understood, the evidence strongly suggests that in order to understand the chemical bases of aroma perception, the chemical analysis of a given product should provide results not only about the content in aroma chemicals of the product, but also about the relative easiness (to an external reference) with which the compounds are transferred to the headspace in that product.…”