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Microbiology Of Cheddar Cheese Made With Different Fat Contents Using A Lactococcus Lactissingle-Strain Starter, Jeff Broadbent, C. Brighton, D. J. Mcmahon, N. Farkye, M. E. Johnson, J. L. Steele

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Flavor development in low-fat Cheddar cheese is typified by delayed or muted evolution of desirable flavor and aroma, and a propensity to acquire undesirable meaty-brothy or burnt-brothy off-flavor notes early in ripening. The biochemical basis for these flavor deficiencies is unclear, but flavor production in bacterial-ripened cheese is known to rely on microorganisms and enzymes present in the cheese matrix. Lipid removal fundamentally alters cheese composition, which can modify the cheese microenvironment in ways that may affect growth and enzymatic activity of starter or nonstarter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB). Additionally, manufacture of low-fat cheeses often involves changes to processing protocols …