<i>KLUYVEROMYCES LACTIS </i>AS ATTENUATED STARTER

Abstract: A process for producing cheese, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products comprises contacting said cheese, analogues or products with a Kluyveromyces lactis cell or an enzyme derived therefrom.

Description: KLUYVEROMYCES LACTIS AS ATTENUATED STARTER Field of the invention This invention relates to a process for producing cheese, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products, and more particularly to a method to enhance the rate of taste, flavour and texture formation and/or to extend the range of tastes, flavours and textures Description of the prior art Eating habits in the World show an increased use of cheese and other fermented milk products There exists an enormous variety in types of cheese, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products and, consequently, in production methods to obtain those products The production of cheese starts with the clotting of milk, which is provoked by the specific proteolytic action of chymosin or similar enzymes, such as those found in rennets of animal or microbial origin Lactic acid bacteria (i e starters such as Lactococci) are added in order to get the required acidification of the milk depending on the cheese technology involved The resulting curd is composed mainly of the casein together with milk fat droplets that are entrapped by inclusion A substantial fraction of the rennet and the lactic acid bacteria also ends up in the curd After pressing the whey to reduce the water content, the young cheese is subjected to a process of ripening in order to give the final cheese its desired taste, flavour and texture The formation of taste, flavour and texture of cheese, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products is a process that involves complex and well- balanced reactions between glycolysis, proteolysis and lipolysis of the milk components and further degradation of ammo acids The degradation products of the milk fat and protein (peptides, free amino acids, di- and mono-glyceπdes, free fatty acids and ammo acid derived compounds such as amines, ketoacids aldehydes ketones, alcohols, esters, acids and sulphur compounds) all contribute to the specific taste-, flavour- and texture properties of the cheese in question Proteolysis during ripening of cheese can be extensive (Fox, 1989) In hard cheese, 25-35% of the insoluble protein of the curd may be converted into soluble protein In soft varieties such as Brie, Camembert or Limburger, over 80% of the insoluble protein can be converted to water-soluble compounds such as peptides, ammo acids and ammonia (Foster et al 1983) Flavour formation in cheese, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products is a process involving a cascade of enzymatic reactions Starting from ammo acids, compounds including amines, ketoacids, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, acids and sulphur compounds can be formed as intermediate products and/or final flavours Decarboxylation of ammo acids results in the formation of the corresponding amines and is catalysed by various decarboxylases from the enzyme class EC 4 1 1 Specific examples are lysine decarboxylase (EC 4 1 1 18), arginme decarboxylase (EC 4 1 1 19), histidme decarboxylase (EC 4 1 1 22) and various others Subsequently, the amines can be converted to the corresponding aldehydes and ammonia by oxidative deamination involving enzymes such as amine oxidases (EC 1 4 3 6) Aldehydes can be further oxidised to the corresponding acids by aldehyde dehydrogenases of class EC 1 2 (subclasses are formed according to the electron- and/or hydrogen acceptor) or reduced to the corresponding alcohols by alcohol dehydrogenases (EC 1 1 - subclasses are formed according to the electron- and/or hydrogen donor) Alternatively, ammo acids can be converted via deamination and transammation reactions Deamination results in the corresponding alpha-ketoacids and ammonia and requires the action of am o acid oxidases or dehydrogenases such as EC 1 4 1 5 and EC 1 4 3 2 Transammation also results in the corresponding alpha-ketoacids but the ammo- group is transferred to another accepting ketoacid (e g alpha-ketoglutarate or oxaloacetate) with a concomitant transfer of the oxygen group from the accepting ketoacid to the ammo acid In this case no ammonia is liberated This reaction requires the action of various aminotransferases also named transaminases from the enzyme class EC 2 6 1 The ketoacids formed by deamination and transammation of ammo acids can be further converted to aldehydes by decarboxylation involving various decarboxylases from the enzyme class EC 4 1 1 in normal (I e not accelerated) processes, the formation of taste, flavour and texture is effectuated by endogenous milk enzymes such as plasmm and by exogenous enzymes such as the rennet used for clotting Furthermore, starter cultures such as lactic acid bacteria used for the initial acidification of the milk, also contribute to cheese ripening because a substantial fraction of the bacteria usually ends up in the curd Their combined extracellular proteolytic- and intracellular peptidolytic activities and enzymes that further degrade ammo acids into the compounds listed above, are capable of breaking down the casein fraction The proteases, peptidases, esterases, hpases and the enzymes of ammo acid catabolism in the lactic acid bacteria have been extensively studied (Urbach, 1995, Gobbetti et a/ , 1996, Gao et al , 1997, Law and Haandnkman, 1997) However, those of other starters, such as propionibactena and surface flora, have been studied much less extensively A common disadvantage in most of the production methods is that the ripening process, i e the process of taste, flavour and texture formation, very long extending from days up to several months and in some instances years For economic reasons, a shorter ripening time is highly desirable Acceleration of ripening is most pertinent for low-moisture, slow ripening varieties and most published work has been done on cheddar (Fox et al , 1996) In addition, there is an industrial need for increasing the range of types of taste, flavour and texture of cheeses, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products Enhancement of the rate and extent of taste, flavour and texture formation and increasing the range of tastes, flavours and textures can be achieved by either adding additional bacteria or by adding additional enzymes Changing the lactic acid bacterial enzyme content in cheese directly affects the rate said ripening and the final flavour One of the most efficient ways to increase the bacterial enzyme pool in cheese curd, without altering the primary starter and the cheese make, is to add whole lactic acid bacteria which are unable to grow and to produce significant quantities of lactic acid, but which can still deliver active ripening enzymes during the ripening stage These starters are called "attenuated" Attenuated starters can be prepared by various treatments like heating, freezing, spray drying, freeze-drying, fragi zation using lysozyme or solvents, or by the selection of lactose negative mutants treatment (see Klein and Lortal for a recent review) Pettersson and Sjostrom reported the first preparation and use of attenuated starters as a cheese additive, in 1975 At that time, their mam purpose was to accelerate proteolysis and shorten ripening time, which was of great economic interest Today, in most developed countries the hygienic quality of milk is so high that the problem is not only to shorten the ripening time but also to improve the flavour This is particularly true for new kinds of cheeses such as those made from UF- or low-fat milk, which usually exhibit poor flavour development and a rubbery texture (El Soda et al , 1991) Attenuated starters if they are well known and reproducibly made, can improve both the rate and the quality of cheese ripening (Fox, 1988, El Soda and Pandian, 1991) Enzymes such as proteases and lipases are used for manufacturing cheese, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products in which the rate of formation of taste, flavour and texture is enhanced and the range of tastes, flavours and textures extended significantly (Conner, 1988, Tye et al 1988) International Patent Application WO 96/38549 discloses the use of an Aspergillus ammopeptidase and European Patent Specification EP 0167309 discloses the use of a fungal lipase In general, these flavour enhancing enzymes can be added in the form of attenuated bacteria (vide supra), as a paste (Kosikowski, 1988), as solutions (Law, 1980), through encapsulation techniques (Braun and Olson, 1986, Alkhalaf er al, 1988, El Soda et al, 1989), as soluble enzymes with salt (Green, 1985) or as enzymes themselves Summary of the invention The present invention provides a process for producing a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product which process comprises contacting a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product or a precursor of any thereof with a Kluyveromyces lactis cell or an enzyme derived therefrom The invention also provides a cheese, a cheese analogue or a processed cheese obtainable by a method of the invention, use of a K. lactis cell or enzyme derived therefrom in a process for producing a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product, and an attenuated K lactis cell, and Typically, an attenuated yeast cell of the invention is characterised in that it may enhance the rate of taste-, flavour- or texture formation in a cheese, a cheese analogues, or a cheese-derived product and/or may extend the range of tastes, flavours or textures of those products The process of the invention producing a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product may result in an enhanced rate of taste-, flavour- or texture formation and/or an extension of the range of tastes, flavours or textures of the products produced Description of the invention By the term cheese we mean a dairy product belonging to a soft cheese variety, for example, Camembert, Munster or Livanot, a semi-hard variety such as Torre de Savoie, Gouda, Edam or Mimolette, or a hard cheese variety such as Cheddar, Gruyere or the Swiss cheeses or Parmesan By the term cheese analogue we mean a product composed of (i) dairy protein, for example casein or casemate, and/or whey protein concentrate coagulated by acidification or by heat treatment and (n) cheese flavouring agent By the term cheese-derived product we mean either a processed cheese, for example, a preheated mixture of cheeses, butter or other fatty materials, melting salts or any type of cheese curds to which enzymes are added in order to give desired texture- and flavouring properties By the term precursor we mean any substance that is present in the process of the invention which will ultimately become a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product Thus a precursor could be milk, butter or cheese curds for example A yeast cell or an enzyme derived therefrom may be contacted with a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese derived product or a precursor of any thereof at any point during the manufacture of one of those products Thus, the yeast cell or an enzyme derived therefrom can be added to milk or alternatively could be added to a young cheese during ripening By the term ripening we mean the formation of taste, flavour and texture of a cheese, a cheese analogue, or a cheese-derived product Ripening involves complex and well-balanced reactions including glycolysis, proteolysis and lipolysis of milk components and further degradation of ammo acids in amines, ketoacids, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, acid and sulphur compounds by a cascade of enzymatic reactions, for example, decarboxylation, transammation, deamination, oxidation or reduction By the term yeast we mean a non-taxonomic category of fungi that is defined in terms of morphological and physiological criteria (P Singleton, 1994) Kluyveromyces lactis is a unicellular saprotroph which can metabolise carbohydrates by fermentation and in which asexual reproduction occurs by budding By the term attenuated cell, we mean a cell, for example a bacterial, a fungal or a yeast cell, that has been treated in such a way that at least 80%, preferably more than 90% and more preferably 99% of the cells are killed but not lysed while more than 50%, more preferably more than 90% of the cell 's mtracellular enzyme activity, comprising the ripening enzymes proteases, peptidases, Iipases, esterases, decarboxylases, aldehyde dehydrogenases, ammo oxidases, alcohol dehydrogenases, ammo acid dehydrogenases, ammo acid oxidases, am o transferase and/or transammases, is retained Aminopeptidase activity can be used to determine how much enzyme activity is retained Viability of the cells can be measured in CFU/ml by plating a dilution of the attenuated cells on suitable YEG agar plates Typically, in the method of the invention for producing a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product, the cheese, cheese analogue or cheese-derived product is contacted with a population of cells, which cell population comprises attenuated cells Typically the population of cells comprises at least 80%, preferably 90% and more preferably at least 99% attenuated cells By the term proteases we mean enzymes that hydrolyse a protein substrate in an endo fashion and that are classified by the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular biology as EC 3 4 21 (senne endopeptidases), EC 3 4 22 (cysteme endopeptidases), EC 3 4 23 (aspartic endopeptidases), EC 3 4 24 (metalloendopeptidases) or EC 3 4 99 (endopeptidases of unknown catalytic mechanism) By the term peptidases we mean enzymes that hydrolyse a protein or peptide substrate in an exo-fashion, l e from either the N-termmal (e g aminopeptidases) or the C-termmal (e g carboxypeptidases) side of the substrate and that are classified by the by the Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular biology as EC 3 4 11 (aminopeptidases), EC 3 4 13 (dipeptidases), EC 3 4 14 (dipeptidyl- and tπpeptidyl-peptidases), EC 3 4 15 (peptidylpeptidases), EC 3 4 16 (senne-type carboxypeptidases), EC 3 4 17 (metallocarboxypeptidases), EC 3 4 18 (cysteme- type carboxypeptidases) or EC 3 4 19 (omega peptidases) By the term lipase or esterase we mean enzyms that belong to the enzyme class E C 3 1 1 By the term decarboxylases we mean enzymes that belong to the enzyme class EC 4 1 1 and that convert ammo acids into their corresponding amines and C0 2 or that convert alpha-ketoacids into their corresponding aldehydes and C0 2 By the term amine oxidases we mean enzymes that belong to the class EC 1 4 3 and that convert primary amines into their corresponding aldehydes and ammonia by oxidative deamination By the term aldehyde dehydrogenase we mean enzymes that belong to the enzyme class EC 1 2 and that convert aldehydes into their corresponding acids in the presence of an electron- and/or hydrogen acceptor such as NAD + or NADP + (EC1 2 1 ), a cytochrome (EC1 2 2) oxygen (EC1 2 3) and a disulphide (EC1 2 4) By the term alcohol dehydrogenase we mean enzymes that belong to the enzyme class EC 1 1 and that convert aldehydes into their corresponding alcohol in the presence of an electron- and/or hydrogen donor such as NADH + or NADPH + (EC1 1 1 ) and a cytochrome (EC1 1 2) With the terms ammo acid dehydrogenase and ammo acid oxidase we mean enzymes that belong to the enzyme class EC 1 4 and that convert am o acids into their corresponding alpha-ketoacids and ammonia in the presence of an electron- and/or hydrogen acceptor such as NADH+ or NADPH+ (EC 1 4 1 - dehydrogenases), a cytochrome (EC 1 4 2 - dehydrogenases) and oxygen (EC1 4 3 - oxidases) With the term aminotransferase or transammase, we mean enzymes that belong to the enzyme class EC 2 6 1 and that convert am o acids into their corresponding alpha-ketoacids, in the presence of another amine accepting and oxo-donatmg alpha-ketoacid such as alpha-glutarate or oxaloacetate We have now surprisingly found that Kluyveromyces lactis enzymes, in the form of a cell free extract or preferably as part of attenuated K lactis cells, are very efficient at degrading milk proteins into peptides and single ammo acids as well as at the subsequent conversion of single ammo acids to flavour molecules such as amines, ketoacids, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, acid or sulphur compounds By yeast enzymes we mean indigenous enzymes, so enzymes that naturally are present in the yeast cells and fulfil a natural function, e g metabolic function in the yeast cell Furthermore, we have found that attenuated Kluyveromyces lactis cells and/or Kluyveromyces lactis derived enzymes can be advantageously used to substantially enhance the rate of taste-, flavour- and texture formation of cheese, cheese analogues or cheese-derived products and/or to extend the range of tastes flavours and textures of cheese, cheese analogues or cheese-derived products We have found that in the cheese producing process, advantageously attenuated K lactis cells and/or intracellular enzymes derived from K lactis can be used Preferably, cell-free extracts of K lactis are used as source for K lactis derived enzymes The mam activity of the intracellular enzymes derived from K lactis comprises preferably proteases, lipases, esterases and/or other ripening enzymes as mentioned above Preferably other purified enzyme activities, for example ?-galactosιdase, should not form the mam activity of K lactis derived enzymes to be used in the cheese making process of the invention For example, the use of Maxilact (DSM Delft, Holland), which is a commercial lactase preparation, is preferably not comprised in the cheese making process of the present invention ?-galactosιdase does not have a function in the ripening of the cheese and therefore is less desired In one aspect the invention provides a process for producing a cheese, a cheese analogues or a cheese-derived products, which method comprises contacting a cheese, a cheese analogue and/or a cheese-derived product or a precursor thereof with a Kluyveromyces lactis cell or an enzyme derived therefrom Preferably, the contacting step of the method of the invention is carried out under conditions suitable for ripening to occur The Kluyveromyces lactis cell suitable for use in a process of the invention is preferably an attenuated Kluyveromyces lactis cell, more preferably the K lactis cells are attenuated by a microwave treatment Similarly, the enzyme used in a process of the invention can be an enzyme from an attenuated yeast cell The enzyme for use in a process of the invention may be a protease and/or a peptidase, preferably an endoprotease, an aminopeptidase or a carboxypeptidase The carboxypeptidase is preferably carboxypeptidase Y Further, suitable enzymes for use in a process of the invention include those belonging to the class of lipases and esterases In addition, suitable enzymes include those belonging to classes of enzymes that convert ammo acids into flavour compounds, preferably carboxylases, amine oxidases, aldehyde reductases, aldehyde oxidases, ammo acid oxidases, ammo acid dehydrogenases and ammotransferases or transammases The yeast cell for use in a method of the invention may be a modified yeast so that it preferably over-expresses a protease, a peptidase a lipase, a esterase or an enzyme that converts an ammo acid into a flavour compound of the invention A modified cell for use in a process of the invention may be a genetically modified cell, for example a recombmant cell or a cell identified through a random mutagenesis screening Enzymes derived from a modified cell may also be used in the process of the invention Brief description of the figures Figure 1 shows the release of free am o groups during a kinetic degradation of beta-casein For details see Example 4 Figure 2 shows the enhancement of the proteolysis in the cheeses containing the attenuated yeast EXAMPLE 1 Cultuπnq of Kluyveromyces lactis Kluyveromyces lactis was grown in a liquid YEG-medium (10 g/l Yeast extract, 20 g/l Bactopeptone and 20 g/l dextrose), pH=6 5 at 30°C Cultuπng proceeded in 3 steps Step 1 - Preparation of frozen inoculation material In the first step, very dense cell suspensions were prepared in order to be used as inoculation material in subsequent fermentations Three 500 ml bottles each containing 330 ml of YEG medium were inoculated with one yeast colony coming from a YPD (Yeast Peptone Dextrose) plate The bottles were incubated in a rotary shaker at 220 rpm for 48 hrs at 30°C Glycerol was then added to a final concentration of 15% after which the cell suspension was stored at -80°C Step 2 - Pre-culture Three subcultures at 2% were carried out at 12 hours intervals The first two subcultures were carried out in tubes of 10 ml of YEG medium and the last one was carried out in a 250 ml bottle containing 50 ml of YEG medium Step 3 - Large scale culture Three bottles of 500 ml containing each 330 ml of YEG medium were used for the culture Five milliiitres of the pre-culture (step 2 - 1 e 1 5%) was used for each bottle At 12 hours, the culture was in the early exponential growth stage and the OD at 650 nm was 1 5 to 2 Cells were collected by centrifugation at 18,900 g for 20 minutes at 4°C and washed twice with cold sterile distilled water The cell pellets were stored at -20°C EXAMPLE 2 Preparation of a cell free extract of Kluyveromyces lactis Frozen cell pellets, prepared according to Example 1 were thawed on an ice bed and resuspended in 50 ml of cold sterile distilled water (OD at 650nm= 30-40) and subsequently disrupted at 1000 Bars in a refrigerated French pressure cell Undisrupted cells and cells debris were removed by centrifugation at 39,200 g for 20 minutes at 4°C and the collected supernatant was sterilised by filtration (0,45 micron then 0,20 micron), distributed in sterile Eppendorfs vials and stored at -20°C until use The protein content of the cell free extracts was determined according to the Lowry method using bovine serum albumin as a standard (Lowry et al 1951 ) Typically, the cell free extract had a protein content of 2-4 mg/ml depending on the strain EXAMPLE 3 Preparation of beta-casem In order to determine the peptidase activity of the cell free extract of K lactis and/or lactic acid bacteria, beta-casem was chosen as a substrate because it is a representative cheese substrate and also the most hydrolysed casein fraction in ripened semi-hard cheeses (Ferranti et al, 1997 and Gouldsworthy er al, 1996) Beta-casem was purified from milk as described in Le Magnen and Maugas (1992) It was subsequently partially hydrolysed using the endoproteases trypsin (EC 3 4 21 4) and chymotrypsin (EC 3 4 21 1) in order to generate small peptides that are more suitable substrates for the peptidases in the cell free extracts described in Example 2 above Trypsin was chosen because it has the same specificity as the endogenous milk enzyme plasmin (EC 3 4 21 7) A solution of beta-casem, at 10 mg/ml in sterile distilled water, was hydrolysed by a mixture of trypsin ( 5000K, Novo Industry A S, Copenhagen, Denmark) and chymotrypsin (Sigma), both at an enzyme/substrate ratio of 1/1 000 (w/w), for 3 h at 37°C and at pH 7 2 which was kept constant by adding 0 5 M NaOH After the time indicated, the enzymes were inactivated by heating the solution for 20 minutes at 80°C The solution was lyophilised and stored at 4°C until use, (Lemee et a/ , 1998), Lait, 78, 227-240) The final degree of hydrolysis was 16% as deduced from the determination of free ammo-groups using the modified colonmetric ninhydrm method for peptidase assay as described by Doi ef al (1981 ) The peptide mixture was characterised by mass spectrometry and contained 34 different peptides with molecular weights ranging from 373-3864 EXAMPLE 4 Proteolytic degradation of beta-case by a cell-free extract of Kluyveromyces lactis and some lactic acid bacteria One milhlitre of a solution containing 24 8 μM prepared according to example 3, was incubated with 125 μg of cytoplasmic protein of Kluyveromyces lactis or lactic acid bacteria and incubated at 24°C in a buffer of 50 mM sodium phosphate at pH 5 7 Duplicate samples were taken at zero time and at 2, 5, 10, 24, 48, 120 and 168 hours The enzyme reaction was stopped by heating the samples in a 100°C water bath for 20 minutes Subsequently, samples were precipitated with a 10-fold volume of ethanol The proteolytic activity of the cell free extract was determined by analysing the increase in free ammo groups according to the method of Doi et al (1981 ), using methionine as a standard The degree of proteolysis corresponded to the difference between the free am o groups at a certain time and at zero time and was expressed in mmole equivalents methionine Free proline was not quantified with this method because it lacks a free ammo group Heat-treated cell free extracts were used as a control Free ammo acids were identified and quantified as follows at indicated time points, the boiled samples were taken and precipitated with sulphosalicylic acid according to the method of Mondino et al , (1972) The supernatant was analysed by ion exchange chromatography where the free ammo acids were detected by post-column denvatization using ninhydrm, essentially as described by Mondino et al (1972) Figure 1 shows the increase in free ammo groups as a function of time for the cell free extract of K lactis and several lactic acid bacteria The figure clearly shows that K lactis is far more active than the lactic acid bacteria Table 1 summarises the liberation of individual ammo acids after 168 hours expressed as percentage of the total amount of each ammo acid present in beta-casem The added amount of cell free extract protein was the same in all incubations K lactis is the most active of all strains tested in liberating tyrostne (1 12%), phenylalanme (94%), methionine (89%), leucme (91 ), isoleucme (79%), vaime (90%) and the total amount of free ammo acids (88%) Only in the case of proline was Lactobacillus helveticus more efficient (74%) than K lactis (55%) which was still more active than the other 4 strains Table 1. Free amino acids after 168 hours of hydrolysis of beta-casein by cell free extracts of the indicated micro-organisms. Expressed as percentage of the total amount of each amino acid present in beta-casein. The values that are underlined and bold are the highest for a given amino acid. EXAMPLE 5 Formation of flavour compounds by cell free extracts of Kluyveromyces lactis and several lactic acid bacteria The formation of flavour compounds from ammo acids was measured by incubating a mixture of ammo acids with cell free extracts of the micro-organisms indicated Ammo acids were selected on the basis that their degradation is known to result in typical cheese flavours The composition of the incubation mixture was as shown in Table 2 Table 2 Formation of cheese flavour components, composition of the incubation mixtures α-ketoglutaπc acid was added for transammase reactions The cofactors pmdoxal phosphate and thiamine pyrophosphate were added as cofactors for transammation reactions and decarboxylation reactions The mixtures were incubated at 24°C and 5 ml samples were taken at 0, 24 and 168 hours and subsequently analysed by HPLC and Head Space GC-MS, see Table 3 for an overview of the analytical method used The samples were also subjected to a sniffing test that consisted of a semi-quantitative judgement and qualitative description of the flavours of the mixtures This was carried out by a panel of 14 people using 4 ml of each incubation mixture per person Table 3 Analytical methods used for the separation and the detection of the possible compounds present in the samples HPLC-analysis HPLC was used for the quantitative analysis of non-volatile ketoacids, hydroxyacids and other acids that were derived from the ammo acids (in brackets) by transammation α-phenylpyruvic acid (Phe), para- hydroxyphenylpyruvic acid (Tyr), α-ketoisocaproic acid (leu), α-keto-β- methylvalenc acid (lie) and α-ketoisovaleric acid (Val) The consumption of α- ketogiutanc acid due to these transammation reactions was also measured by HPLC Just before analysis, the samples were thawed, homogenised and diluted 10-fold with the HPLC-eluant (0 01 N H 2 S0 4 ) and centrifuged Injections were done using an automatically controlled fraction collector The loop volume was about 20 μl and the assays were done in full loop The volume for the injection was 40 μl The flush volume was 30 μl The separation and detection conditions were as follows the samples were injected on a reversed phase Aminex A6 column (300x7 5 mm, Biorad, Richmond, USA) which was operated under isocratic conditions at a flow rate of 1 ml/min (Beckman pump) and an oven temperature of 55°C The UV detection was carried out at 210 nm using a Beckman detector. All data were analysed with the Gold data management system version 8 1 also provided by Beckman. The column was calibrated for each of the compounds listed in Table 4 Hereto, several concentrations of the compounds were applied to the HPLC and their "response coefficient", equalling the slope of the linear regression line obtained after plotting the concentration of the standard compound versus the surface of the peak, was determined Table 4 Non volatile compounds analysed by HPLC Methionine-denved flavour compounds could not be determined by this HPLC method GC-MS With GC-MS the following volatile compounds were detected benzaldehyde (from Phe via transammation, decarboxylation, reduction and other reactions) - 2-methylbutanal (from lie via transammation, decarboxylation), - 3-methylbutanal (from Leu via transammation and decarboxylation), - 2-methylpropanal (from Val via transamination/deamination and decarboxylation), - 2-methylpropanol (from Val via transamination/deamination, decarboxylation and reduction), - 2-methylbutanol (from lie via transamination/deamination, decarboxylation and reduction) The headspace volatile compounds of the samples were isolated and analysed by a dynamic headspace analyzer Tekmar 3000 (Tekmar Inc , Cincinnati, OH, USA) coupled to a HP5890A gas chromatograph (Hewlett Packard, Avondale, PA, USA) The samples were thawed just before analysis, homogenised and diluted ten-fold in boiled milli-Q water 3 g of the dilution was weighted in a 35ml non- fritted sparger All samples were purged with 35ml/mιn ultrapure helium gas at 65°C for 15 mm to isolate headspace volatiles which were adsorbed on a Vocarb 3000 trap (stainless steel tube packed with 10 cm carbopack B, 6cm carboxen 1000, 1 cm Carboxen 1001 , Supelco, Bella Fonta, Pa USA) The trapped compounds were thermally desorbed at 250°C during 4 mm and cryofocused at - 100°C before being injected by heating at 270°C They were separated on a HP5 capillary column (60m x 0 32 mm x 1 0 μm film thickness) under the following conditions - carrier gas helium, 29 cm/s at 35°C, - temperature program 35°C for 5 mm - heating rate 5°C/mιn to 140°C then 15°C/mιn to 250°C The other operating conditions were "moisture control module" 200°C, valve and transfer lines 200°C, trap cleaning by baking at 260°C for 8 mm to remove residual compounds The GC column was connected without splitting to the ion source of a HP7972A quadruple mass spectrometer (interface line 280°C) operating in the scan mode within a mass range of m/z 25-300 at 2 5 scan/s lonisation was carried out by electronic impact at 70 eV, calibration was carried out by autoturmg Quantification was performed by integrating the peak areas of total ion chromatograms (TIC) using the Hewlett Packard Chemstation software Compounds were tentatively identified by computer matching of mass spectral data with those in Hewlett Packard Chemstation NIST 75K Mass Spectral Database and by comparing their mass spectra and retention times to those of standard compounds. Table 5 Formation of flavour compounds after 168 hours from a mixture of am o acids by cell free extracts of Kluyveromyces lactis (K lac), Lactobactllus helveticus (L hel) and Brevibactenum linens (B lin) or a mixture (mix) of L hel and K lac (each 125 μg/ml) versus a blanc incubation = mixture of am o acids with water instead of cell free extracts Table 6. Sniffing test results of the incubations of amino acids with cell free extracts (Table 5). Of each incubation mixture two tubes were present in the series: one to be analysed after 24 hours, the second one after 168 hours. The analysis was performed blind and the tubes were placed in random order. The quantitative data represent the number of people giving the indicated score (low, medium or hi h smell level or none . The formation of α-ketoacids from am o acids is summarised in Table 5 Only in the case of the two Lactobacilli strains and B linens strain 550 was there a quantitative correlation between the formation of α-ketoacids and the consumption of -ketoglutanc acid In case of the two K lactis strains and β linens AS100 products other than those determined by the HPLC-analysis were apparently being formed With respect to the formation of the volatile compounds, remarkable differences were observed between K lactis, L helveticus and β linens No major qualitative differences were found for the two different strains per type of micro-organism Table 3 shows that both strains of K lactis very efficiently produced 2-methylbutanal, 3-methylbutanal, 2-methylpropanal and some benzaldehyde L helveticus produced mainly benzaldehyde and a little 2-methyl- propanol, while β linens produced some benzaldehyde and sulphur compounds In the case of the mixture of cell free extracts, all volatiles were formed The results of the sensory analysis are summarized in Table 6 and show that K lactis was capable of producing medium/high smell levels compared to L helveticus (low) and B linens (low/medium) The panel positively judged the flavour developed by K lactis and characterised it predominantly as cheese-like flavour All the results obtained clearly demonstrate that K lactis is capable of forming α-ketoacids and flavour molecules from ammo acids and therefore that it can be used successfully in the ripening step of cheese, cheese analogues and cheese-derived products EXAMPLE 6 A pilot scale cheese making At pilot scale pressed cheese-making was performed in order to validate our previous results in vitro with cell free extracts Step 1 - Milk preparation 2 vats of 26 kg of milk at 28 g/kg of fat matter were prepared with low heat skimmed milk powder and commercial raw cream Firstly skimmed milk was prepared with Low heat powder 10 g powder in 100 g water The fat content of a commercial raw cream was measured with the Dairy Lab, and a certain quantity of cream was added to the skimmed milk to result in 28 g/kg of fat matter in the milk In our case, we did Step 2 - Preparation of attenuated K lactis 13 Bottles of 500 mL containing each 400 mL of YEG medium were used for the culture The cell pellets were resuspended after the final centrifugation in 260 mL of SDW and distributed in 10 * 10 mL msterile tubes All tubes were placed in a water bath at 20 °C Microwave treatment was carried out on each, which were finally put together in a sterile bottle and kept cooled before use Step 3 - Cheese preparation • The 2 vats containing each 26 kg of reconstituted milk are warmed at 34°C with a warm water circulation bath The pH of the is 6 65 in the two vats • 5 2 ml of a 500mg/L CaCI 2 solution are added to each vat • A commercial lactococci starter is added at 4 U/100L, which represents in our case 1 04U for 26 kg of milk The mixture is stirred and left without stirring until the pH has reached 6 55 after about 80 minutes of incubation At the same moment, in the trial vat, the attenuated starter is added at 1% (w/w), which represents 260 ml of a microwave treated concentrate • 9 75 ml of a 3-fold diluted chymosin product (Maxιren-600 from DSM) are added in each vat Incubation proceeds for 30 minutes in a 28°C room until a firm coagulum is formed • The formed curd is cut twice with the special equipment and the cut particles are "healed" for 10 minutes and then stirred slowly (speed 2 out of 5 total speeds) for 10 minutes 20% of the whey (5 2 kg) in each vat is taken off and is replaced by the same quantity of 35°C demmeralized water The mixture is stirred again for 15 minutes at the same low speed • After the second stirring operation, the wey fraction was taken off and curd content of each vat is divided in six round moulds The room temperature is fixed at 26°C • After 10 minutes, a pressure of 6 g/cm 2 is put on each mould After 15 minutes, the moulds containing the cheeses are turned over and the same pressure is applied for 15 minutes again During 3 hours, each 15 minutes the same operation is performed and the cheese reaches pH 5 2 The room temperature is fixed at 16°C and the mould cheeses are conditioned for the night under the same pressure • After 14 hours, the cheeses are brined in a 15% NaCl solution for 50 minutes, then drained for 5 hours, bisected and vacuum packed to be ripened at 12°C EXAMPLE 7 Attenuation of Kluyveromyces lactis Cells of Kluyveromyces lactis were cultured as described in example 1 and harvested in the early exponential phase under sterile conditions by centrifugation at 18,900 g for 20 minutes at 4 °C The cells were washed twice with sterile distilled water (SDW) The cell pellets were resuspended in 100 ml of SDW after the final centrifugation and distributed in 10 * 10 ml in sterile tubes All tubes were placed in a water bath at 20°C Microwave treatment was carried out using a Philips AVM 025 microwave oven (absorbed power 1200 W/230 V) equipped with a timer and variable power setting Each 10 ml sterile tube got a microwave treatment of 650W for 13 seconds The microwave treatment had no significant effect on the peptidase activity, whereas 99% of the cells were killed EXAMPLE 8 Validation of our attenuated starter in a pilot scale cheese making and measurement of proteolysis and flavour compounds formation A pilot scale cheese experiment was performed as described in example 6 Attenuation of Kluyveromyces lactis was realized as described in example 7 13 bottles of 500 ml containing each 400 ml of YEG medium (5 2 liters of culture in total) were used for the culture The cell pellets after the final centrifugation were resuspended in 260 ml of SDW and distributed in 10 * 10 ml in sterile tubes All tubes were placed in a water bath at 20 °C Microwave treatment was carried out on each tube, which were at the end put together in a sterile bottle kept in cold before used The cheese characteristics at day+1 are described in Table 8 The different measurements were performed twice on half cheeses for the blank and for the trial cheese containing 1 % of attenuated K lactis MFFS : MOISTURE IN THE FAT-FREE SUBSTANCE S/M : Salt-in-moisture Cheese samples were analyzed at day +1 , +7, +14, +28 and +55 for total nitrogen (TN), Non Protein Nitrogen (12% trichloroacetic acid (TCA)-soluble N) and Non Casein Nitrogen (Soluble Nitrogen at pH 4.6) by the Kjeldahl method (IDF, 1993). The evolution of the ripening indices in both control and trial cheeses is presented in the Figure 2, which clearly shows the enhancement of the proteolysis in the cheeses containing the attenuated yeasts. The ripening indices were defined as: IE = NCN / TN 1P = NPN / TN The neutral volatile compounds were determined by CG-MS on cheese aqueous extracts in the same conditions as described in the example 5. The results are presented in the Table 9. Table 9 - Neutral volatile compounds present at day + 1 and day + 45 in both control and trial cheeses (arbitrary area units) Blank day + 1 Trial day + 1 Blank day + Trial day + 45 45 Aldehydes Acetaldehyde - 38 - 262 3-Methylbutanal 3 10 4 22 Pentanal Benzal3 2 1 4 dehyde 3 1 5 2 Nonanal 1 - 1 1 Alcohols 2-Methylpropanol-1 - 53 26 132 3-Methylbutanol-1 + 2-Methylbutanol-1 602 133 655 -Hexanol - 2 3 Esters Ethyl acetate 2 773 373 774 Ethyl propanoate - 1 1 5 n-propyl acetate - - 1 6 Ethyl butanoate - 20 8 64 Ethyl hexanoate - 3 2 23 Ethyl octaπoate - - - 6 The two alcohols 3-Methylbutanol-1 and 2-Methylbutanol - 1 were coelutated, so 5 in the table the two area concerning both compounds were summed Table 9 clearly shows an increase of aroma compounds like aldehydes, alcohols and esters in the trial cheese containing the attenuated yeast For some compounds the increase was already noted at day 1 It is clear that there is a positive effect on the volatile aroma compounds formation in the cheese due to the attenuated yeast References Conner, T (1988) Advances in accelerated ripening of cheese Cult Dairy Prod J 23, 21-25 Doi, E , Shibata, D , and Matoba, T (1981 ) Modified colorimetπc ninhydrm methods for peptidase assay Anal Biochem 1 18, 173-184 El Soda, M and Pandian, S (1991) Recent developments in accelerated cheese ripening Journal of Dairy Science 74, 2317-2335 El Soda, M , Chen, B , Riesterer, B and Olson, N (1991) Acceleration of low-fat cheese ripening using lyophilised extracts or freeze shocked cells of some cheese related micro-organisms Milchwissenschaft 46, 358-360 Ferranti et al, (1997) Lait, 77, 683-697 Foster, E M , Nelson, F E , Speck, M L , Doetsch, R N and Olson, J C (1983) "Dairy Microbiology" Ridgeview Publishing, Atascadero, California Fox et al (1996) Anthonie van Leeuwenhoek, 70 271-297 Fox, P F (1989) Proteolysis during cheese manufacture and ripening J Dairy Res 72, 1379-1400 Gao, S , Broadbent, J R , Johnson, M E , Weimer, B C , and Steele, J L (1997) Aromatic amino acid catabolism by lactococci Lait 77, 371-381 Gobbetti, M , Fox, P F and Stepaniak, L (1996) Esterolytic and lipolytic activities of mesophihc and thermophilic lactobacilli Italian Journal of Food Science 2, 127- 137 Gouldsworthy et al (1996) Int Dairy J 6, 781-790 Klein, N and Lortal, S (1999) attenuated starters A powerful means to influence cheese ripening - a review Int Dairy J submitted for publication Law, J and Haandnkman, A (1997) Proteolytic enzymes of lactic acid bacteria International Dairy Journal 7, 1-11 Lemee, R , Gagnaire, V , and Maubois, J L (1998) Strain variability of the cell- free proteolytic activity of dairy propionibactena towards β-casem peptides Lait 78, 227-240 Lowry, O H Rosebrough, N J , Farr, A L , and Randall, R J (1951 ) Protein measurement with the folm phenol reagent J Biol Chem 193, 265-275 Le Magnen, C , Maugas, J J , (1991 ) Method and device for obtaining beta casein International Patent Application WO92/000017 to EURIAL Mondino, A , Bongiovanni, G , Fumero, S , and Rossi, L (1972) An improved method of plasma deprotemisation with sulphosalicylic acid for determining ammo acids and related compounds J of Chromatography 74, 255-263 Petterson H and Sjostrom, G (1975) Accelerated cheese ripening A method of increasing the number of lactic starter without detrimental effect of the cheese making process and its effect on cheese ripening Journal of Dairy Research 42, 313-326 Tye, T M , Haard, N F and Patel, T R (1988) Effects of bacterial protease on the quality of Cheddar cheese Can Inst Food Sci Technol J. 21 , 373-377 Shakeel-Ur-Rehman, McSweeney, P L H , and Fox, P F (1998) Protocol for the manufacture of miniature cheeses Lait 78, 607-620 Singleton, P (1994) Dictionary of Microbiology & Molecular Biology, page 784, J Riley & Son, New York Urbach, G (1995) Contribution of lactic acid bacteria to flavour compound formation in dairy products International Dairy Journal 5, 877-903 Yvon, M , Berthelot, S , and Gnpon, J C (1998) Adding α-keto-giutarate to semi- hard cheese curd highly enhances the conversion of ammo acids to aroma compounds Int Dairy J 8, 889-898 Yvon, M , and Gnpon, J C , (1997) Use of keto acids to enhance the flavour of cheese products International Patent Application WO 9848645 to INRA

Claims: CLAIMS A process for producing a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese- derived product, which process comprises contacting a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product or a precursor thereof with a Kluyveromyces lactis cell or an enzyme derived therefrom A process according to claim 1 , wherein the Kluyveromyces lactis is an attenuated yeast cell A process according to claim 1 , wherein the enzyme is an intracellular enzyme derived from K lactis A process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the enzyme derived from a yeast cell is a protease, a peptidase, a lipase, an esterase, or an enzyme that converts an am o acid into a flavour compound A process according to claim 4, wherein the peptidase is an ammopeptidase or a carboxypeptidase, preferably carboxypeptidase Y A process according to claim 5, wherein the enzyme that converts an ammo acid into a flavour compound is a carboxylase, an amine oxidase, an aldehyde reductase, an aldehyde oxidase, an ammo acid oxidase, an ammo acid dehydrogenase, an ammotransferase or a transammase A process according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the yeast cell is modified so that it over-expresses an enzyme which enzyme is a protease, a peptidase a lipase, an esterase, or an enzyme that converts an ammo acid into a flavour compound 8. A cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product obtainable by a process according to any one of the preceding claims. 9. Use of a Kluyveromyces lactis cell or an enzyme derived therefrom in a process for producing a cheese, a cheese analogue or a cheese-derived product. 10. An attenuated Kluyveromyces lactis cell.

Inventors: KLEIN NATHALIE, LORTAL SYLVIE, KLEIN, NATHALIE, LORTAL, SYLVIE
Applicants: DSM NV, KLEIN NATHALIE, LORTAL SYLVIE, DSM N.V., KLEIN, NATHALIE, LORTAL, SYLVIE
Application year: 2000
Main classification: A23C19
IPC codes: A23C19, C12N1, C12N13