Exploring the Potential Effect of Amino Acid Supplementation at High Ripening Temperature on Cheese

Abstract

Branched-chain (BAA) and aromatic amino acids (AAA) are precursors of volatile compounds with pleasant flavors in cheese. In this study, BAA and AAA were added to cheese which matured at 30 °C for 7 days to assess their effects on accelerating cheese ripening. Though cheese ripened at high temperature, no spoilage was found in all cheeses. Based on the analysis of the number of Lactococcus, hydrolysis degree, FAA composition, combined with correlation analysis, we revealed that Leu, and AAA would promote the formation of related flavor substances through the increase of substrate content. Ile, Val and Phe could be used by Lactococcus as nutritional factors to increase the numbers of Lactococcus, further affected the production of some volatile compounds. This study proved that adding amino acids at higher ripening temperature can accelerate cheese ripening, and its possible mechanism, which provided an innovative scheme for rapid ripening cheese.

Keywords: Amino acids, Lactococcus, Cheddar cheese, High ripening temperature, flavor, texture