Flavour release and perception in cheese bases

To be able to deliver customised flavours from cheese matrices that have different textures and compositions, it is important to understand how the cheese matrix affects the perception of flavour. It is known that perceived flavours depend not only on the combination of tastants and aroma compounds in a food, but also on the way in which those flavour compounds are released from the food matrix. In addition, flavour perception can be influenced by cross-modal sensory interactions between taste, aroma and texture. In a collaborative research project between Fonterra Research Centre, The University of Otago in New Zealand and CSIRO in Australia, we are evaluating flavour release and cross-modal sensory interactions in a cheese base. Our aim is to understand how perceived flavour is affected by the texture and composition of the cheese and by the combination of tastants and aroma compounds making up the flavour. Sets of cheese bases were created with similar textures but different compositions, and similar compositions but different textures. Flavour compounds were added, and the equilibrium flavour release was studied using proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry, and related to flavour perception using descriptive sensory analysis.