The flavor protease, known asFlavorpro Umami, is specifically designed for use in the manufacture of enzyme modified cheese (EMCs) where a strong, mature, savoury flavour is needed. The ingredient,releases a high amount of umami flavours from dairy proteins by breaking them down into products that contain higher level of glutamic acid, said the company.
Speaking with FoodNavigator.com, Aelig Robin, a new product development scientist at Biocatalysts explained that the enzyme produced higher levels of glutamic acid – an amino acid that is known to give strong, savoury flavor noted that are found in fermented or aged food (known as umami flavor).
Robin said the enzyme had been developed specifically to be efficient at producing the rich savoury flavours that aged products possess, noting that the enzyme works by breaking down dairy proteins in a specific way, which means they produce higher than normal levels of the umami flavour.
The new product development specialist also told this publication that whilst the demand for flavor enhancement in EMCs had led the company to develop the new enzyme for the market, the development team are also looking at producing similar proteases for other applications.
Salt reduction
Robin added that in addition to being used to produce distinctively strong savoury flavours, the umami flavopru enhancer could potentially be used to produce reduced sodium cheeses. HE explained that because umami flavor notes heighten the overall flavor profile, it could help to increase the “apparent saltiness.”
“An EMC cheese made to contain the protease could help to boost the savoury profile, meaning that you can cut out some of the salt in the product without affecting the taste,” he said.
The Biocatalysts expert added that the enzyme can be used on its own or in combination with other dairy lipases., and that as it is microbial and non-animal derived it is suitable for use in Kosher, Halal and vegetarian products.