Optimize cheese's ability to retain its flavor.

"Extreme" typifies today's lifestyle--extreme sports, mega-sized value meals and new, extreme flavors. To take advantage of this trend, dairy processors could intensify the cheddar flavor of their powdered cheese ingredients to create a more extreme taste sensation. Scientists at the University of Minnesota (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, 1334 Eckles Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108) have studied cheese powder from the point of its manufacture through the aging and storage processes to determine when it loses its flavor.

The goal here is to help improve the stability of cheese flavor in formulated foods. What is surprising is the degree of loss from the powder itself. We would assume that when you spray dry materials, the flavor is trapped in the powder, which is traditionally stable microbially. However, scientists noted that cheese powder loses a lot of its flavor in a short period of time.

Substantial aroma losses occur when the initial cheese slurry is dried into a powder. The more volatile compounds, such as diacetyl and butyric acid, decrease approximately 40%. But this does not significantly impact aroma loss. The Minnesota investigators noted the loss of flavor when they baked crackers with prepared cheese powder. Major losses of key cheddar aroma compounds--87% of both diacetyl and dimethyl disulfide--occurred during the baking process. This points out the need to protect the cheese powder during baking to achieve an acceptable flavor quality.

The researchers used a standard, recommended formula for making cheese powder for their testing, combining sweet whey powder, soybean oil, maltodextrin, cheddar cheese solids, salt, calcium caseinate, enzyme-modified cheddar-type cheese, disodium phosphate and butter. They suggest that processors could look at a new approach to that formula that might hold the flavor better.

The traditional composition for making cheese powder only includes about 5% enzyme modified cheese, which contributes to the overall flavor desired in the end product. Researchers suggest increasing the amount of enzyme-modified cheese and adding a good carrier, such as corn syrup solids. This will improve the retention of flavor during the drying process and help lock it in during storage.

The investigators don't have a solid answer as to why the powders lost so much flavor during storage. They assume that the more volatile flavor compounds might have diffused through the powder and evaporated. However, they also might have chemically reacted with the cheese base itself, which would be yet another avenue of study, they believe. Another recommendation is to use a fluidized bed during processing, which can be used to put a fat coating on the powder to help reduce the flavor loss during baking. You want to produce an ingredient that will hold the flavor inside tiny taste capsules that dissolve on contact with saliva. In this manner, the flavor remains fresh until the moment the consumer eats the product.

Further information. Gary Reineccius; phone: [phone]; fax: [phone]; email: [e-mail].