Enzobact, from the Swedish manufacturer Medipharm, is developed to enhance the quality of low fat cheese.
Enzobact is a heat treated lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus helveticus that is added directly to the cheesemilk. Heat treatment keeps the aminopeptidase enzymes entrapped in the cell membrane during cheese production and they are not released until the ripening process. The proteolytical activities and acidification are negligible.
Ripening cultures makes it easier to control the ripening process and reduces the bitterness of the cheese by increasing the aminopeptidase activity, which enhances the decomposition of peptides. Thereby it also increases the amount of free amino acids providing a much better taste. The consistency of the cheese is improved by a large amount of small peptides and amino acids.
The levels of bitter peptid were much lower when Enzobact was added. The enzyme activities were also identified as possessing aminopeptidolytic and X-prolyl-dipeptidyl aminopeptidase activities. These two enzyme activities enable a degradation of medium sized peptides to non-bitter peptides and free amino acids.
Amino acids and small peptides are important for the flavour formation as well as acting as precursors for further formation of flavour compounds.
enquiry no 52A
Medipharm is based in Kågeröd, Sweden. www.medipharm.se
