Industrial Application of Lipases in Cheese Making: A review

Lipases are extensively used in the dairy industry for the hydrolysis of milk fat. The dairy industry uses lipases to modify the fatty acid chain lengths, to enhance the flavours of various cheeses. Current applications also include the acceleration of cheese ripening and the lipolysis of butter, fat and cream. The free fatty acids generated by the action of lipases on milk fat endow many dairy products, particularly soft cheeses with their specific flavor characteristics. Lipolysis is an important biochemical event occurring during cheese ripening and has been studied quite extensively in varieties such as Blue and hard Italian cheeses where lipolysis reaches high levels and is a major pathway for flavour generation. However, in the case of cheeses such as Cheddar and Gouda, in which levels of lipolysis are moderate during ripening, the contribution of lipolytic end products to cheese quality and flavour has received relatively little attention. The progress of lipolysis and its effect on flavour development during cheese ripening is reviewed. FFA are important precursors of catabolic reactions, which produce compounds that are volatile and contribute to flavour. The aim of this work is to review the existing knowledge of the way in which lipolysis and FFA catabolism proceed during cheese ripening, how lipolysis may be measured and monitored and also how this biochemical event contributes to cheese flavour.