Primary biochemical events during cheese ripening

Cheese ripening is a complex set of biochemical events that involves at least three fl avor generating pathways: (i) lipolysis, (ii) proteolysis and (iii) metabolism of residual lactose and of lactate and citrate. It is affected by many factors including type and amount of coagulant, presence of starter, adjunct starter and non-starter microorganisms, addition of enzymes used to accelerate ripening and environmental conditions during manufacturing and ripening. Many different cheese varieties are essentially similar at the end of manufacturing stage in terms of chemical composition and texture; however, a number of changes occur during ripening based on ripening conditions and these infl uence the fl avor and aroma of cheese. Changes to the texture and fl avor of the cheeses which take place during manufacturing and ripening are primary reactions and largely affect biochemistry of cheese. Also, residual clotting enzyme, starter or non-starter lactic acid bacteria (NSLAB), fungi and their enzymes infl uence cheese quality. As it is a wide research fi eld, people from many different disciplines study on cheese. So, collaborative studies have been done in many laboratories to understand the biochemical and physical changes during ripening.