Thinking outside the box for dairy flavours
“Cheese is a very complex entity in itself, it has lipolysis and proteolysis and you can’t replicate those off the bat with one flavour,” applications manager at dairy flavour manufacturer Edlong Europe Anne-Marie Butler said.
“Just because you want a cheddar flavour, doesn’t mean a cheddar flavour will interact well with the other ingredients. It might need a hint of blue to boost the taste.”
Getting an authentic dairy flavour profile can therefore take some out-of-the-box thinking, Butler said.
For instance, Edlong has developed high protein chocolate truffles, which contain processed cheese flavour. “It’s not what you think would work but it totally changes the profile. Before the flavour was dark chocolate, slightly bitter and lacking richness. We added a graham cracker flavour and processed cheese flavour and it transformed it into a creamy, rich taste with balanced savoury notes and a rounded-out bitterness of the dark chocolate.”
“These are versatile tools,” added chief commercial officer Beth Warren. “Once we added mozzarella flavour to a beverage.”
Edlong has a range of natural and synthetic flavour, derived from dairy and non-dairy sources.
The Chicago-headquartered firm has application and R&D labs in Ireland and Mexico. Since opening the facility in Ireland it has expanded its range of European cheese flavours to include brie, camembert, gouda, comté and feta.
Edlong said it has seen demand for dairy flavours rise as manufacturers develop foods that are low in fat or sugar, high in protein or fortified with vitamins, formulations that inevitably produce off-notes.
Its vegetarian and vegan dairy flavours are also increasing in popularity thanks to the plant-based protein movement, Warren said.
© iStock