One of the most important (and longest) steps in cheesemaking is ripening, also known as maturation or aging. During this process, cheese is stored under specific conditions to encourage the growth and activity of certain bacteria to break down the components that make up the cheese structure, using the products to make the compounds responsible for the tastes and smells that make cheese taste so good.
Unfortunately, because the ripening process is designed to support the growth and activity of bacteria, other unwanted bacteria can take advantage of this, resulting in defects. One such defect is production and accumulation of biogenic amines. Biogenic amines are produced by certain bacteria using the same precursors used to make flavor compounds, but instead of making the cheese taste better, they can make compounds with names like putrescine and cadaverine, which smell even worse than they sound.
Production of biogenic amines produces gas which can result in splits and cracks in the cheese and eating food containing certain biogenic amines at high enough concentrations can cause food poisoning.
The focus of this research is to investigate the conditions that result in high levels of biogenic amines in cheese to find ways to prevent them. Our current investigation is concerned with levels of biogenic amine-producing bacteria in cheese currently on the market, and how they correspond to levels of biogenic amines. We’re also investigating how bacteria with the ability to degrade biogenic amines impact the accumulation of biogenic amines in cheese. We hope that by identifying the factors that lead to high or low levels of biogenic amines, we can offer targeted solutions to help cheesemakers prevent this defect from occurring, reducing waste, and increasing the quality of the final product.