The purpose of this paper is to investigate in situ production of aroma‐active esters in dairy foods so as to improve flavour and to produce fruity flavour concentrate.
Lipase, ethanol or bacterial cultures are added to dairy media (milk, cream or cheese) and incubated for a period of time (from hours to months). Samples are then taken and analysed for aroma‐active esters using gas chromatography (GC) or gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry (GC‐MS).
Analyses of samples show that significant levels of ethyl esters of fatty acids are produced in milk, cream, enzyme‐modified cheese and natural cheese. All the dairy foods possess an intense pleasant fruity aroma.
This is a natural way to generate fruity flavours in dairy foods to enhance flavour and thus, consumer acceptance. The fruity flavour concentrate can also be used as a flavouring ingredient in dairy and non‐dairy food applications. Natural pure esters may also be extracted, separated and concentrated for wider flavour and fragrance applications. This approach may provide a cost‐effective solution to the increasing surplus of milk fat.
