Neutral volatiles in cheddar cheese made aseptically with and without starter culture

Abstract

Summary: Analyses of the neutral volatile components from 3 Cheddar cheese are presented. Two were made aseptically in an aseptic vat, with and without starter culture; the third was made with starter culture in an open vat. Gas–liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry detected the same volatiles in starterless cheese having little or no Cheddar flavour as in cheese made with starter and having a characteristic Cheddar flavour. Methyl disulphide and dimethyl sulphide were the only compounds consistently detected in higher concentrations in the cheese made with starter than in the cheese made without starter. However, using a total trapping technique, it was found that the combination of components recovered from the effluents of the chromatographic columns did not have the cheese-like aroma of the distillate vapours that were injected. Reasons for this are discussed.