Flavour compound production by Yarrowia lipolytica, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Debaryomyces hansenii in a cheese-surface model

A simple cheese model mimicking a cheese surface was developed for the detection of cheese flavour formation of yeasts. A total of 56 flavour compounds were detected by dynamic headspace sampling followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis. Yarrowia lipolytica CBS 2075 primarily produced sulphides, furans and short-chain ketones; Saccharomyces cerevisiae D7 primarily produced esters and Debaryomyces hansenii D18335 primarily produced branched-chain aldehydes and alcohols. For several of the detected flavour compounds, an increase in production was observed upon exposure to dairy-relevant environmental stress conditions including high NaCl concentration and low temperature. The predominant yeasts on the cheese surface may be important for development of flavour, and thus the use of yeasts as ripening cultures has the potential to affect the flavour of cheese.