Approaches to screen cheese-related bacteria for their ability to produce aroma compounds

Cheese flavour results from the activity of many starter and non-starter bacteria that contribute to the conversion of curd components into a number of odorant and sapid compounds. Growing bacteria participate in flavour-related reactions, as well as non‐proliferating or even non‐cultivable bacteria encountered during cheese ripening. Some enzymes released from lysed bacteria can participate as well. Many of the activities are strain-dependent, leading to the need of screening approaches to evaluate the flavouring potential of the strains. This lecture presents the main biochemical pathways for the production of flavour compounds and summarizes the variety of approaches used for screening purpose, with examples ranging from simplified in vitro systems to mini-cheese experiment