Phenolic Flavor in Cheese

Abstract

A new type of flavor defect in Gouda cheese was studied. This defect can be best described by the term phenolic. By means of gas chromatography and infrared spectrophotometry the component responsible for this defect was identified as p-cresol. Its threshold value in Gouda cheese was estimated to be 0.3 ppm. It could be established that phenolic flavor is caused by a special group of lactobacilli isolated from inadequately filtered rennet. Other types of lactobacilli, also present in contaminated rennet, were found to be responsible for the putrid flavor and a new type of late gas defect in cheese. Bacteriological control of the rennet is, therefore, indispensable to ensure the production of cheese without the defects. © 1968, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.