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The secret behind great tasting cheese

Brie, parmesan, mozzarella, cheddar, feta and gorgonzola. These are all much-adored household
cheeses with each their unique avor pro le. They are, however, made from the exact same basic
ingredient – milk. So how do cheeses develop their unique avors, and why do they taste so
good? Read on to learn more. It is un-brie-lievable.

May 15, 2020

Flavor is key
What is most important to you when choosing a cheese at your local supermarket or cheese monger – the price or the anticipation of
a mouthwatering avor sensation? Most people choose the latter. In fact, 36% of consumers rate avor as the most important factor
when buying cheese – above brand and price1. This makes avor pro les a key element in cheese production. Like for so many other
great things in this world, we have good bacteria to thank for the addiction-inducingly delicious avors of cheese.

Good bacteria in ripening cultures

Bacteria play a crucial role in cheese-making. To make cheese, three elements are needed in addition to milk – a starter culture, a
coagulant and a ripening culture. It is the ripening culture loaded with good bacteria that is the star of the show when it comes to
creating avor. Some freshly made cheeses taste quite salty and bland, as taste is not developed until during the ripening period. 

During ripening, microbes are activated and begin to break down the cheese elements and create avor. 

Decay made delicious

In essence, cheese is the result of decomposition of milk enabled by good bacteria. During ripening of cheese, many biochemical
processes take place, which are essential for avor development. Two such decomposition processes are particularly important for
avor creation: proteolysis (breakdown of proteins) and lipolysis (breakdown of fat). 
Cheese is made up largely of casein protein (milk protein), and during proteolysis, these proteins are broken down to their building
blocks – amino acids and peptides. The individual amino acids are packed with avor and enter into further reactions and create more
complex, avorful compounds. However, no single amino acid or peptide with a “cheeselike taste” has been isolated among the about
200 peptides isolated from cheese, and they all play each their role in taste formation. The good bacteria and coagulant secure the
right balance between proteolysis and peptidolysis when breaking down the protein – all leading to great tasting cheese. But
proteolysis is not the only biochemical process that brings out avor.

In lipolysis, the fats – lipids – in cheese are broken down. These fats are so-called triglycerides, which consist of three long fatty acid
chains connected to a glycerol molecule. It is not until the chains are cut o the glycerol by lipase (the enzyme) and become free fatty
acids that avor is developed. The free fatty acids create avor and aroma, and their lengths determine the speci c avor pro le. The
free fatty acids go on and enter into reactions to create a multitude of avor compounds. 

Put simply, these two processes develop the avor pro le of cheeses, and enzymes and good bacteria are the true superstars for
breaking down big compounds into their avorful and aromatic building blocks. But if you want a produce a tangy goat cheese, you
cannot just rely on the o chance that the biochemical processes will leave you with that exact avor pro le. Instead, you rely on avor
design and tailored cultures. 

Flavor design
The nal avor pro le of a cheese depends, among other things, on the speci c microbiota of the ripening culture added during
production, meaning that you can customize avors by selecting speci c ripening cultures and lipases. Their microbiota in uence the
biochemical processes and consequently the nal avors. Ripening cultures allow for a wide variety of unique avor pro les, ranging
from creamy to earthy over fruity or savory, and prevent the formation of bitterness in the cheese. Here is a glimpse of the many
possible avor pro les in the Chr. Hansen portfolio. 

Next time you enjoy your favorite cheese, remember to pay thanks to the millions of good bacteria that have been hard at work to
create delicious avors. 

 
1
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