Cheese flavor composition and process for making same

A process for preparing a cheese flavored food product, said method comprising:

• (a) preparing a cheese or dairy base;
• (b) incorporating into the cheese or dairy base about 1 to about 10 percent of a cultured cheese concentrate, wherein the cultured cheese concentrate is provided by
• (a) contacting a protein containing dairy product having a pH of about 6 to about 7 with a lactic acid culture at a temperature of about 25 to about 45° C. for about 8 to about 72 hours to form a reaction mixture that includes peptides and free amino acids, wherein the protein containing dairy product is milk, milk concentrate, whey, whey concentrate, whey substrate, or mixtures thereof;
• (b) contacting the reaction mixture with amino acid oxidase to deaminate the peptides and free amino acids to provide α-keto acids;
• wherein the α-keto acids are further metabolized within the reaction mixture to provide flavor compounds and wherein the flavor compounds, when incorporated into the food product, impart or intensify cheese flavor therein without adversely impacting the edible food product's organoleptic properties.

A method for preparing a cheese flavor concentrate for use in edible food products comprising the steps of:

• (a) contacting a protein containing dairy product having a pH of about 6 to about 7 with a lactic acid culture and an enzyme composition at a temperature of about 25 to about 45° C. for about 8 to about 72 hours to form a reaction mixture that includes peptides and free amino acids, wherein the protein containing dairy product is milk, milk concentrate, whey, whey concentrate, whey substrate, or mixtures thereof and wherein the enzyme composition consists essentially of (1) a protease enzyme or (2) the protease enzyme and at least one additional enzyme selected from the group consisting of a peptidase enzyme, a lipase enzyme, and mixtures thereof;
• (b) contacting the reaction mixture with amino acid oxidase to deaminate the peptides and free amino acids to provide α-keto acids, wherein the α-keto acids are further metabolized within the reaction mixture to provide flavor compounds;
• and
• (c) inactivating enzymes in the reaction mixture containing flavor compounds to form the cheese flavor concentrate, wherein the cheese flavor concentrate, when incorporated into edible food products, imparts or intensifies cheese flavor therein without adversely impacting the edible food products' organoleptic properties.