Patent ID: 8263144

Claim:
A method for accelerating development of cheese flavor for use in edible food products comprising the steps of: (a) contacting a protein containing dairy product having a pH of about 6 to about 7 with a lactic acid culture at a temperature of about 25 to about 45° C. for about 8 to about 72 hours to form a reaction mixture that includes peptides and free amino acids, wherein the protein containing dairy product is milk, milk concentrate, whey, whey concentrate, whey substrate, or mixtures thereof; (b) contacting the reaction mixture with amino acid oxidase to deaminate the peptides and free amino acids to provide α-keto acids; wherein the α-keto acids are further metabolized within the reaction mixture to provide flavor compounds which, when incorporated into the edible food products, impart or intensify cheese flavor therein without adversely impacting the edible food products' organoleptic properties.