Abstract
(1) Background: to date, a clear description of the impact of specific enzymes on the enzyme-modified cheese (EMC) flavor is lacking. Moreover, comparative studies on the aroma compounds’ intensity of EMC have been rarely investigated. Therefore, this study was done to determine the influence of incubating substrates with proteases and different lipases on cheese ripening index and aroma compounds. (2) Methods: two-stage processing was adopted; proteolysis followed by lipolysis. (3) Results: results showed that the usage of Flavourzyme may improve the value of pH 4.6-WSN/TN%. Butanoic acid and hexanoic acid have a significant influence on the overall flavor of EMCs. In particular, the ethenyl acetate compound was detected in all products and was perceived as a fruity and sweet aroma, which has not been reported in previous literature. The concentration of short-chain fatty acids of EMCs made by Lipase MER was higher than EMCs made by Palatase, while the total content of medium and long-chain fatty acids of EMCs made by Lipase MER was lower than EMCs made by Palatase. The percentage of esters compounds in EMCs made by Lipase AY 30G was higher than the other two lipases, except EMC1. (4) Conclusions: Flavourzyme may be used to speed up the ripening of cheeses that need extensive proteolysis. The ability of Lipase MER to hydrolyze short-chain fatty acids was stronger than that of Palatase, while the ability of Lipase MER to hydrolyze medium and long-chain fatty acids was weaker than that of Palatase. The use of Lipase AY 30G was accompanied by the production of some other flavor esters, which made the final hydrolysates more fragrant and may be a good choice to produce fruity cheese flavor EMC. While Lipase MER may barely contain ester activity. This study may provide a reference for the selection of incubated enzymes for specific flavor EMC.
Highlights
The use of Lipase AY 30G was accompanied by the production of some other flavor esters, which made the final hydrolysates more fragrant and may be a good choice to produce fruity cheese flavor enzyme-modified cheese (EMC)
This study may provide a reference for the selection of incubated enzymes for specific flavor EMC
It was speculated that the extent of proteolysis could be increased by using Flavourzyme. pH 4.6-WSN/TN% index reflects the bitterness level of EMC
Summary
Cheese is widely used as a food ingredient because of its rich flavor and unique processing characteristic [1]. The application of natural cheese as a flavor ingredient is limited due to its low cheese flavor intensity and huge economic cost. The functions of cheese can be extended through secondary processing [2–4]. One of the most commonly used cheese substitutes is enzyme-modified cheese (EMC), which is treated with exogenous enzymes to increase 15–30 folds of cheese flavor intensity [5–7]. EMC production technologies mimic the ripening process of natural cheese, and EMC can achieve natural cheese flavor requirements with very little addition. Different flavors can be produced from different process conditions, and there are many kinds of EMCs in the foreign market
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