Elucidation of the effect of fat globule size and shape on Cheddar cheese flavour development using a fat-substituted cheese model.

Abstract

Flavour development and distribution of fat globule size and shape were investigated in full-fat cheddar-type cheese containing anhydrous milkfat (AMF), a high-melting milkfat fraction (S24), or a low-melting milkfat fraction (0013). Intensity of characteristic cheddar flavour in the S24 cheese, after maturing at 8°C for 9 months, was significantly lower than that in the AMF or 0013 cheeses. This flavour difference was not correlated with the amount of free casein amino acids, C6-C12 free fatty acids, water-soluble nitrogen, fat globule diameter or surface area. At 6 months of age, significant differences were observed for the sphericity of fat globules between the cheese pairs AMF/S24 and S24/0013, but not for AMF/0013, suggesting that the shape of fat globules, rather than median diameter or surface area, impacted on cheddar cheese flavour. It is also possible that certain low-molecular-weight components of milkfat, which are removed from the high-melting fractions during thermal fractionation, play an essential role in the production of cheddar flavour.