Selecting the Right Ingredients for Adding the Flavor of Cheese

  The technology for manufacturing cheese powder is almost exclusively spray-drying; however, in special cases, freeze-drying may be employed. The typical ingredients used include block or barrel cheese, emulsifying salts, and fillers when needed. The types of fillers that may be used are whey, flour, buttermilk, maltodextrins and skim milk solids.

  The required ingredients are added to a steam-jacketed kettle. Sufficient water is added to make an emulsion with the cheese. Emulsifying salts such as phosphates and citrates are used to form an emulsion to prevent oiling-off of the milkfat and to eliminate any graininess which would hamper the smooth texture of the slurry. This slurry is heated to sterilization temperatures, homogenized, and spray-dried to produce a cheese powder. The final moisture content of the cheese powder is approximately 4%. This ensures adequate quality and stability.

  The various ingredients and processing conditions used will influence the tonality and functionality of the cheese powder. The type of cheese selected is critical to the overall flavor and quality of the cheese powder. Also, the amount of cheese spray-dried in the cheese powder can vary. A cheese powder spray-dried without any fillers is considered to have high cheese solids, in the range of 95%. Cheese powders with a moderate amount of cheese contain more than 50% cheese solids; whereas, cheese powders with less than 50% cheese solids are considered to have low amounts of cheese. The nutritional values for these types of cheese powders are illustrated in the accompanying table. (Table Number One)

  Cheese powders have many applications in food products. They can be used to provide real cheese solids to low-moisture products. They are often used at 6% to 10% as consumed in food products. Salted snack foods use the greatest amount of cheese powders in the United States. Cheese powders are an integral part of many topical seasonings for potato chips, extruded snacks and popcorn. Their main functionality is flavor delivery, mouthfeel, appearance, and adhesive properties. Cheese powders also can be used in snack fillings, where they are a better alternative than natural cheese because they are low in moisture and will keep the snack crisp and fresh.

  In addition to snacks, cheese powders are used in dry mixes such as those for sauces and side dishes. In these products, cheese powders impart flavor, mouthfeel, texture and color. They provide a long shelf life to dry mixes because they contain approximately 4% moisture.

  The disadvantage to using cheese powders is that they are not always cost-effective; they may even be the most expensive ingredient in some product formulations. It often is necessary to add flavors and enzyme-modified cheese (EMC) to lower the use levels of the cheese powders and reduce costs. These ingredients can be integrated into one cheese flavor system, which is an optimum way for flavoring products.

  Table Number Two illustrates a formulation for a dry Alfredo cheese sauce mix. In this formulation, a Parmesan cheese flavor system is used to provide natural cheese and to impart cheese flavor and a creamy consistency.

  In the manufacturing of EMCs, proteases and lipases are added to natural cheese in combination with emulsifying salts to make a slurry. The slurry is incubated at a given temperature for a predetermined amount of time. During incubation, the proteases hydrolyze the protein into peptides and amino acids, which decreases the viscosity. The lipases catalyze the partial and selective hydrolysis of the milkfat to generate mostly short-chain fatty acids, the major contributors of cheese flavor. At the end of the incubation period, enzymes are thermally deactivated and an EMC is made.

  The flavor tonality and strength of an EMC can be controlled through the correct selection of the cheese and enzyme starting materials and the processing conditions used. Several enzymes with different selectivities are available from microbial and other sources. In addition, with the advent of modern biotechnology the availability of new enzymes with unique characteristics is growing daily. Enzymes can be designed to act on a specific substrate to produce desired tonalities.

  EMCs provide a natural source of flavor at a lower use level than cheese powders and natural cheese. They typically are available as pastes; however, they can be spray-dried to produce a powder. EMCs also can be used for the replacement of natural cheese. They are typically 10 to 20 times stronger than natural cheese and can be used to replace some of the cheese solids in products such as sauces, soups, dressings and crackers. They are more cost effective than natural cheese; therefore, they provide an economical way to add natural aged cheese flavor to a product.

  EMCs are ideal in frozen cheese-type products. In frozen products, the proteins from natural cheese tend to coagulate and produce a grainy texture. This problem may be eliminated with the use of EMCs, because their proteins have been hydrolyzed into more soluble peptides and amino acids. They will help provide flavor while maintaining a smooth consistency and texture in a frozen sauce product.

  The disadvantages of EMCs tend to be with off-flavor formation during processing. Bitter flavors often form, altering the flavor profile. Advancements in technology are in the works to minimize bitter flavor formation.

  Cheese flavors are available in many types of tonalities. They are used to increase the flavor impact in a food product. Unlike cheese powders and EMCs, cheese flavors do not contribute cheese solids, texture or appearance to a food product. The most common application for cheese flavors is to boost and replace a portion of natural cheese in a product. Replacing natural cheese with flavors will enhance the flavor intensity while reducing the cost of a product. In addition, cheese flavors do not contain protein; therefore, they are ideal for products exposed to high temperatures. Baked, retorted and microwavable products are areas in which cheese flavors offer an advantage.

  Cheese flavors combined with cheese powders and EMCs can produce an excellent-tasting product and provide the most cost-effective way to flavor a product.

  As discussed, cheese powders, enzyme-modified cheeses and cheese flavors have specific flavor profiles and properties. Cheese ingredients are used primarily to impart flavor. The desired flavor is determined by the type of cheese used as a precursor. Traditionally, if a blue cheese flavor is desired, then natural blue cheese would be used as the precursor for making a blue cheese powder or an EMC. The selection of consistent quality ingredients is essential for producing a high quality product.

  Cheese powders and EMCs also are used to contribute texture, appearance and natural cheese solids to a product. Cheese flavors do not provide these qualities. Cheese powders can be made with added color to contribute to the appearance of a food product. This aspect is especially important for salted snacks where the cheese powder is required to impart the overall color. Cheese solids are important when the product must contain real cheese for labeling reasons, so cheese powders would be used.

  The processing, storage and preparation conditions of a food product will greatly influence the functionality of a cheese ingredient. These parameters must be defined before selecting an ingredient. Heat stability is a major concern for the proper performance of the ingredient. Natural cheeses and cheese powders tend to scorch when heated in retort, baking and extrusion processes. To minimize this problem, certain heat-stable EMCs and cheese flavors are recommended. Also, be aware of interactions that can occur from other ingredients in the food product.

  Last, it is important to consider price when deciding which cheese ingredient to use. Natural cheese could be the most expensive ingredient in a formulation. Often, product designers will select an EMC or cheese flavor to replace a portion of the natural cheese to reduce the cost of the product while maintaining adequate cheese flavor impact.