Role of Microflora in production of free fatty acids and flavor in Swiss cheese

Abstract

Cheese was made in a sterile 8-liter hooded vat from milk with a low bacterial count under conditions typical for Swiss cheese.Streptococcus therrnopbilus, Lactobacillus belveticus, and Propionibacterium shermanii were added to the vat, singly and in various combinations.The cheese was brined and ripened for 60 days under carbon dioxide at temperatures typical for Swiss chesse.Analyses for free fatty acids revealed that all three organisms were able to produce more free fatty acid than an uninoculated control.The flavor of cheeses inoculated with all three organisms was indistinguishable from Swiss cheese.Cheeses inoculated with a single organism or with two of the organisms lacked cheesy flavor except for those made with S. tberrnopbilus plus L. belveticus, which were cheesy but not Swiss-like.The organisms used in cheese making did not affect formation of nonacid, oil-soluble cheese flavors.Free fatty acids make a major contribution to Swiss cheese flavor (4, 5, 9, 10, 25).These include propionic and acetic acid produced by fermentation, medium chain fatty acids released from milk lipids, and possibly small amounts of branched-chain fatty acids produced by degradation of amino acids (7,11,12, 17, 23).The