Flavours of cheese products: metabolic pathways, analytical tools and identification of producing strains

Aroma development in cheese products results from the metabolic activities of cheese bacteria, by glycolysis, lipolysis and proteolysis. To respond to the increasing demand for products with improved aroma characteristics, the use of bacterial strains for cheese ripening with enhanced flavour production is seen as promising. In this review, the catabolism of amino acids, presumably the origin of some major aroma compounds, is discussed. The techniques of detection of flavour-producing strains are then presented. Their detection may be achieved either by genotyping, by enzymatic analysis, or by physico-chemical analysis such as HPLC, TLC, GC, and electronic nose.