Advances in the study of proteolysis during cheese ripening

Cheese ripening involves a complex series of biochemical, and probably some chemical events, that leads to the characteristic taste, aroma and texture of each cheese variety. The most complex of these biochemical events, prot eolysis, is caused by agents from a number of sources: residual coagulant ( usually chymosin), indigenous milk enzymes, starter, adventitious non-start er microflora and., in many varieties., enzymes from secondary flora (e.g., from Penicillium sp. in mould-ripened cheeses or Propionibacterium sp. in Swiss cheese), Proteolysis in cheese has been the subject of active researc h in the last decade; there have been developments in the analytical techni ques used to monitor proteolysis and patterns of proteolysis in many cheese varieties have now been investigated. This review focuses on certain aspec ts of proteolysis, including proteolytic agents in cheese and specificity o f some ripening enzymes, comparison of proteolysis and contribution of prot eolysis to cheese flavour. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserv ed.