CA2465547A1 - Flavor enhancement in cultured dairy products - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods and compositions for flavor enhancement and development in a cultured dairy product employ identification and selection of fat fractions from sources such as milk(butter) fat for use as flavor precursors. The selected fractions are added to the product at a step in the manufacturing process where they are available for flavor development by means characteristic of the product. The selected fractions are preferably enhanced for fatty acids and have low melting points. For a reduced fat product, the flavor precursors are generally added in combination with a fat substitute. Homogenization of all the aqueous protein component in this type of product was an improvement over homogenizing only a portion of this component. The invention is particularly suitable for production of reduced fat cultured dairy products.

Description

FLAVOR ENHANCEMENT IN CULTURED DAIRY PRODUCTS
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This is a divisional application of copending Canadian Application Serial No.: 2,184,258 filed February 24, 1995.
This invention relates to methods and compositions for development or enhancement of flavor in foods in which flavor develops from the action of enzymes and/or bacteria on flavor precursors. The invention is advantageous in particular for foods manufactured to have reduced fat or to be fat free, in particular for filled cultured dairy products that have a fat substitute. The methods include altering the sequence of steps generally used to manufacture some filled products so that all the aqueous protein composition is homogenized.
Flavor is an elusive, complex, yet necessary component of foods. Some of the most distinctive and popular flavors characterize cultured dairy products. Therefore, it is a challenge to produce a reduced fat cultured dairy product that has a flavor equal to its full fat counterpart. Without flavor, these products are unacceptable to consumers, even though they may fulfill consumers' requests for healthier products.
One category of healthier products is a group of foods characterized as reduced fat, low fat, or fat free. Although these food products have been successfully manufactured, for many of these products, flavor is unsatisfactory to consumers when compared to the flavor of the comparable product that contains fat at natural levels. This is a particular problem for dairy products which rely in part on milk fat for flavor.
Milk fat provides flavor preferred by consumers.
Development of flavors in dairy products such as cheese with a milk fat component is complex, and not well understood (Chapman and Sharpe, 1981). For examp7.e, flavor development in yogurt milk is believed to involve many processes, including fermentation of milk sugar, enzymatic and chemical reactions involving peptides and amino acids ae precursors, for fat degradation (Table V, p. 265 Robinson, i98ij.
Unfortunately, problems have arisen in attempts to preserve the milk fat flavor in dairy products designed to meet trends in consumers eating patterns based on health conscious avoidance of high fat and/o~e high cholesterol foods. As pointed out in Chapman and 5harpe (1981), "...
Cheddar cheese made from skim milk has no Cheddar flavor at 10~ all." Although the reason .for this flavor loss is not clear, removal of flavor precursors during processing is a potential factor.
Milk fat flavor is believed to be an amalgamum of many components including short-chain fatty acids (C, to C,o).
lactones, methyl ketones, aldehydes, esters, alcohols, hydrocarbons, aromatic campounds, indole, methyl indole, phenolic compounds, and dimethyl sulfide (Raylegian et s1. , 1993). Therefore, seeking a solution to flavor Loss or flavor degradation, was not expected to lee straightforward.
Focusing on a single factor or set of factors would be thought too simplistic to improve flavor significantly.
Problems in using modified milk fat in foods are reviewed by Kaylegian et a1. (1993). E~tpanded use of milk fat in foods, where it can contribute substantially to flavor and quality; is frequently inhibited because of functional incompatibilities with other ingredients.
Although various processes modify milk fat to create specialty milk fat ingredients, milk fat functionality cannot always be predicted in complex food systems.
Consumers have indicated they would eat more lower fat products made with fat replacers than traditionally made products if they liked the taste. (Bruhn et al., 1992).
Recognizing the importance of flavor to the consumer, attempts have been made to improve the flavor of reduced fat, low fat, or fat free dairy producta, but there still remains a need for a simple, reproducible, relatively -~ 3 inexpensive method to create flavors that are acceptable to consumers, without defeating the purpose of manufacturing a healthy product.
A possible solution to flavor loss is to add flavor to the end product to replace that lost during processing.
However, attempts to simulate silk flavors synthetically using fatty acids have not been successful. (Ha and Lindsay, 1993.) The flavor of milk fat is complex and difficult to duplicate synthetically because many of the to flavor compounds in milk fat exist in the bound or precursor state and are released upon heating (Kaylegian, et a1. 1993).
Other suggested reasons that the quality of reduced fat cultured dairy products does not compare favorably with i5 full fat counterparts, include possible degradation of milk protein in producing a "filled dairy product."
A filled dairy product is one in which all or part of the dairy fat is removed and replaced by a vegetable sourced oil ("tilled milk" or "filled cream"). The oil is 20 either digestible {for example, soy bean oil) or undigestible (for example, polyol fatty acid polyester (PFAP)), a synthetic fat, or. any imitation fat. Filled dairy products require the production of a~filled milk or filled cream, which is subsequently diluted to a 25 standardized fat level (for example, in a cheese vat).
Subsequent manufacturing steps depend on the product and are well-known to those of skill in the art far full fat products (for example, for cheese). The high shear homogenization step in the manufacturing process is said to 3o affect product quality, at least fo:~ certain cheeses.
Davis (1965) teaches that homogenization to reduce fat droplet size from ~ microns to 1 aicron will increase viscosity and yield a smoother curd. Additionally, Davis cautions that homogenization changes the physical 35 properties of milk casein which leads to a weaker rennet curd.

..
A U.S. patent relating to cheese products, Bodenstein et a3. (Patent No. 5,080,910 teaches that it is essential that a substantial amount of milk protein not be impaired by the effects of homogenization (high shear) if high quality filled cheese products are ,to be produced.
Hodenstein teaches not subjecting all ~'~.he milk protein to high shear homogenization for manufacture of cheese products with polyol fatty acid polyesters.
The present invention addresses the problem of inferior to product quality, in particular when the product is a filled cultured dairy product.
BUM~iARY OF THE INVEZffION
A serious problem in cultured dairy products made by manufacturing processes designed to reduce or eliminate fnt, is that the flavor is nat'as acceptable to consumers as is the flavor from a product made in the same fashion except for the fat reduction steps. The poorer flavor is believed to result at least in. part from the absence or reduction of fatty acids as precursors for degradation into flavor components. The absence or reduction of fatty acids is due to the use of low-fat bases such as skim milk, and the substitution for the lost fat by fat mimetics or replacements such as polyol polyesters. Addition of flavor fractions during processing using methods and compositions of the present invention, overcomes this problem. Other reasons proposed for product degradation include homogenization of milk protein. Contrary to teachings in the art, even greater product improvement results from both homogenizing a substantial portion, rather than a small part, of milk proteins used in the manufacture of some dairy products and adding flavor precursors.
1. Plavor Enhancement An aspect of the present invention is based on the demonstration that flavor loss in the preparation of reduced fat foods is principally due to lack or loss of precursors of flavors during the manufacturing process.
This is particularly evident for cultured dairy products for which enzymatic degradation of milk fat contributes to flavor.
Because the development of flavor is complex, a simple solution to improvement of flavor in cultured dairy products, in particular those from which fat is removed, was not expected. Furthermore, focusing on only one component, flavor precursors, as a means to improve flavor, l0 was not expected to solve the problem of unacceptability of the product because other factors could also be important.
Surprisingly, the present invention solves the problem of flavor loss in a food by identifying and selecting a flavor precursor component of fat, and adding the component to a food at a stage in the manufacturing process Where it is available for subsequent flavor development and enhancement. The flavor enhancing components are thereby concentrated in a food, and undesirable or unnecessary fats ate left out.
Precursors are preferably derived from milk fat, although animal fat ar any fat that is characterized by heterogeneity of its fatty acid (triglyceride) components, is also suitable. The present invention enhances flavor by enriching far flavor precursors with law melting point triglycerides obtained by fractionation. When added to a skim milk base the fractions remain in the mixture rather than separating from it (°'oiling out") as expected.
Another aspect of the invention is that it does not increase the fat content of the finished product so that the product is no longer a "no fat" or "reduced fat"
product because only a relatively small amount .of a fraction or fractions need to be added, and in the process of flavor development, the precursor fats that are added are degraded mostly to non-fat products. Hy "relatively small" is meant generally less than 5~ of the finished product; preferably less than ~

The methods and compositions of the present invention are particularly suited for cultured dairy products. By a cultured dairy product is meant a product that requires , microbial culture or its enzymatic equivalent, for production of a distinguishable product from a milk protein. Cultured dairy products include, without limitation, natural cheese, yogurt, cream cheese processed cheese and sour cream.
Flavor development in cultured dairy products results, in part, from the degradation of free fatty acids that are released from milk fat during processing. ("Milk fat" is used interchangeably with ."butter fat" herein). This degradation is generally provided by microbial or enzymatic digestion.
The four elements required for flavor praductian in a cultured dairy product are: (1) substrate (milk); (2) enzymes (milk lipase, starter and non-starter organisms, lipase/ esterase from ripening systems); (3) spatial orientation (reactions tend to occur at membrane surfaces and oil/water interfaces); (4) environmental conditions (temperature, time, Ph, water, ions).
The specific agents used to achieve flavor development are correlated with the specific flavor that identifies the product as, for example, a Cheddar cheese as distinguished from a Parmesan cheese. Changes which occur during the ripening of a specific product such as Cheddar cheese, are essentially the controlled degradation of the milk carbohydrate, protein and butterfat. Cheddar flavor consists of taste components which are non-volatile, and aroma components which are volatile. Non-volatile components include fat.
Butterfat contributes significantly to flavor production in cultured dairy products. Butterfat is a very heterogeneous mixture of triqlycerides composed of mixtures of long, medium and short chain length fatty acids. All triglyceride fats in butterfat do not contribute equally to flavor production. In addition, certain fat components ate preferred precursors for certain foods. This is because, for example, enzymes in cheese-making systems are mare active against short and medium chain triglycerides than against long chains.
The methods and compositians of the present invention solve the flavor problem by using a fat fraction or combinations of fractions that are liquid at low temperatures, as prime flavor precursors. The fractions contain triglycerides with various fatty acid chain lengths. The flavor precursors are added at or before a step in the manufacturing process where they are available for the degrading agents for flavor development or enhancement. The step at which the fractions are added may vary, although preferably it is at or before the addition of starter cultures.
Flavor precursors for use in accordance with the present invention are preferably derived from milk fat, although they may be produced synthetically if their structure is known. Animal fats are another good source of flavor precursors. Vegetable fats are also suitable although generally they are less heterogeneous.
To identify and select flavor precursor components, the source of the fatty acids, preferably milk fat (butterfat) is fractionated, for example by melting point differences, into a Large number of identifi.able~ reproducible fractions.
Triglycerides are composed of glycerol and three fatty acids. Over 100 fatty acids have been identified in milk fat and of these, approximately 12 hake up 90~ of the tatty acid composition. At least 40o peaks representing fractions of fatty acids are distinguishable after fractionation by gas chramatography, for example. Chain length and the degree of saturation affect melting temperature which is one of the physical characteristics of the fatty acids that is used in the present invention as a separating feature. The fractions are obtained by making use of differential melting temperatures, short path distillation and the like.
Fractions are not homogeneous populations. of triglycerides, but rather include a mixture of chain lengths and band saturations. However, a.t the lower end of the distribution of fractions separated by melting point differences, there are more likely to be shorter chain lengths than at the higher temperature end of the distribution. In addition to fractions at the lower end of the distribution being enriched for short chain fatty acids, these fractions are more likely to contain unsaturated fats.
Fractionation of the fat may be accomplished by methods such as controlled crystallization and separation ("dry fractionation"), short path distillation, vacuum distillation or solvent extraction methods. Differential scanning colorimetry (DSC) is suitable to monitor the dry fractionation of milk fat. For particrular embodiments, fractions may be highly purified, and combinations of the fractions may be identified and selected that impart optimum flavor to a dairy product.
For vacuum distillation, a vacuum of 1-Sum Hg at a temperature range from 100°C to 200°C is suitable, 1i0°
120°C is preferred.
For supercritical COz extraction, a temperature of between 50°-84°C and a pressure of between 100-350 bar (1500-5000 psi) is suitable.
Regardless of the method of fractionation, fractions are selected for use in the present invention because of their ability to produce desirable flavors in food such as cultured dairy products. To determine the optimum fractions of fat to add to a cultured dairy product to enhance flavor, concentrated fractions are obtained by methods such as molecular distillation, solvent ertraction, or a multiple step crystallization. The ability of the - 9 - . "
fraction to be degraded by microbial cultures used to process a particular food is screened by use of a fat ,soluble dye such as Victoria Blue, to identify degradation of f at fractions .
A preferred fraction to employ from fractions produced by subjecting butterfat to temperature cuts, is that fraction which is liquid at approximately 74°F. Even more preferred is a fraction that remains liquid when cooled to 45°F.
to To use each fraction, or combinntion of fractions, to enhance flavor, the fraction or combination is added to a food product. The fraction is preferably added to the milk, and conventional steps are subsequently followed.
The fraction is added during the manufacturing process at Z5 or prior to the time when flavor development generally occurs, that is, when enzymatic processes related to starter cultures are operative.
Although short to median chain triglyceride butterfat fractions are likely to contribute the mast flavor to 20 products, "harder" or longer chain fractions may be useful to "fine tune" flavor or texture in same products e.g. to prevent undesirable "greasing" of low solids polyol polyester at the surface of natural cheese~as it warms to room temperature. Triglycerides typical of butterfat may 25 be considered as "lighter" (from 26-42 carbon atoms] or "heavier" (from 44 to 54 carbon atoms). (Deffense, 1992) In another categorization, by wshort chain fatty acid" is meant an acid with a chain of from 4-~10 carbon atoms; a "medium chain" has I2-15; and a "long chain" has more than 30 16 carbon atoms (Amen et al., 1985). The general melting profile fox a typical whole milk fat is from -25°C to 10°C
(low), of the middle species is about 10°C to 19°C; and a broad high melting fraction about 20°C and above. Longer chain fatty acids that are useful for the methods and 35 compositions of the present invention include those melting at about 14-Z2°C.

The enzymes and bacteria that act on fla~ror precursors of a particular product, prefer specific chain lengths and degrees of saturation in their substrates. For example, in yogurt, some degree of fat degradation is effected by the starter cultures used. The end products of this degradation contribute to flavor. Lipases from the starter culture appear to be especially active against short-chain triglycerides. Therefore, one means for predicting which melting point fractions are preferred for enhancing flavor in a particular food product, is to determine as a preliminary screening, whether enzymes known to be related to flavor development in the product degrade a particular fraction. The favorite substrate of microbial cultures or enzymes used to process the food may be determined by relative activity against the fraction or fractions. A
fraction or fractions enriched for preferred substrates may be selected as flavor precursors.
"' Determination of the optimum fraction or fractions of flavor precursors for a particular product proceeds by adding a bacterial flora or enzymes) characteristic of the product, to a sa~cple of fractions selected from various points of the melting point distribution, and determining ."_ which fractions are optimum substrates for the flora. A
suitable substrate may also be ascertained by analysis of end products of the chemical reactions of the flora or enzymes in a particular food.
Alternatively, if the substrate preferences far flavor producers is known, the composition of the fractions are analyzed for the substrate, and fractions are selected as flavor precursors based on the nature and amount of substrate present in the fraction.
After fatty acids are separated, identified, and selected as suitable for a particular product, the flavor producing molecules are added in the processing steps prior to degradation in the product by, for example, microbes or enzymes. Flavor development typically occurs, for example, -by the normal series of reactions such as enzyme or microbial degradation, leading to the characteristic flavor of the product. If a reduced fat product is desired, the fat fractions are added together with the fat substitutes (also termed fat replacements or mimetics) such as polyol polyesters, which are directed toward producing a healthier food. The lipophilic nature of some of the substitutes, for example, polyol polyesters, is expected to maintain the short chain fatty acids added as precursor components 10~ during production to enhance flavor within the cultured dairy product.
If the end product is a reduced fat product or a no fat product which has a fat substitute, the selected fractions are combined with the fat substitute (fat replacement, fat mimetic) and are added to .a process for manufacturing a natural cultured dairy product, at a time in the process where the combination is available at or before enzymes or starter cultures are operative. The fractions are precursors for further flavor development. Prior to adding the precursors during the manufacturing process, a fat "' substitute (mimetic or replacement or the like) is combined with a fat fraction produced ii. a low temperature and mixed until well distributed. Preferably, a fat substitute capable of being melted is used.
A fat substitute is any mimetic or replacement that when added contributes to the product a characteristic of the full-fat product, for example, acceptable mouth feel.
The fat substitutes may be a non-digestible fat. A
suitable non-digestible fat is a polyol polyester. A
preferred polyol polyester is a sucrose polyester. Use of sugar or sugar alcohol fatty acid polyesters in the present invention allows a reduction in calories of the food products, because the esters are not capable of being absorbed in the digestive tract. Gums and gels are not ... 35 preferred for the practice of the present inventian.

By taking advantage of the natural process of flavor development after providing a precursor composition during the manufacturing process, the tat level of the product decreases as flavor develops, because many of the natural flavors, although developed from fats, are not themselves fats. Rather, many flavors are sugar alcohols, ketones, esters and the like.
Flavor evaluation by expert graders and/or sensory panels is used to identify the effect of a fraction on flavor. 8y following this procedure, t~.he most flavor can be produced using the lowest amount of precursor fat.
Fractions or groups of fractions, are tested for flavor enhancement by adding then during the manufacturing process, and conducting blind tests for flavor acceptability and comparison of flavors of (1) the sage type of dairy products produced to contain reduced fat, but not benefitting from the methods and compositions of the present invention; and (2j the full fat product. These tests are conducted in a blind fashion, with a predetermined scoring system that evaluates texture, mouthful, flavor and "overall liking" of the food.
A "hedonic" i-9 evaluation scale such as that used herein is subjective, but is reproducible given the sane panel of experts, and is comparable across panels. An "mnchor" is generally provided as a "one." A score of 7 is generally good, 9 is rare. Even a 1 point difference is considered significant because it approxa.mates a 10~
difference. The tests are conrnonly used in the field of food testing.
The cultured dairy products of the present invention have been found acceptable by appropriate blind taste tests conducted by experts in the field of taste testing dairy products.
Cultured dairy products prepared by the methods of the present invention include Cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan cheese, and yogurt. It was surprising and unexpected that ~ 02465547 2004-05-20 . _.._ . .

the addition of such relatively small amounts of butterfat fractions during the processing of these foods, effectively overcase the flavor loss characteristic of reduced fat dairy products. The products of the p=~esent invention are suitable for use in the manufacture of processed products such as processed,cheese (cheese spreads, cheese slices and the like).
It was also surprising and unexpected that the liquid fractions would remain in the milk. It was expected that the fractions would "oil" out of the product. Possibly their iaintenance is due to the formation of micelles or lipid globules or lipid-like globules.
The methods of flavor enhancement of the present invention are not limited to products which would benefit from flavor development or enhancement due to loss of flavor in processing aimed at reducing fat. Identification and selection of flavor precursors, and addition of the precursors prior to the time.og flavor development, may be used in any type of food product wherein the flavor precursors of the present invention lead to the development of acceptable flavors in the product, when acted upon by the inherent flavor development steps of the manufacturing process leading to the product. For full fat products, the methods and compositions of the present invention are useful to improve or enhance flavor, or to change flavor.
2. Beta Glvcan as a Flavor Precursor <barrier Beta glycan in either purified form or as found in the cell wall material of yeast, binds lipid. Therefore, yeast cell walls are useful as fat mimetics or as a carrier for flavor precursors. The walls are approximately the same size as a milk fat globule, are round, and held water.
Yeast cell walls are combined with fractions of the present invention, preferably during reconstitution of the yeast cell walls with water or milk. Yeast cell wall material is commercially available under the tradename Engivita~+ or (Gist-Brocades).

Hy combining a relatively small amount of a suitable precursor frnction from butterfat with either beta glycan or partially purified yeast cell wall material, the flavor precursor can be maintained within the cultured dairy product, for example, a cheese curd during manufacture, consequently being available for the normal series of reactions leading to typical flavors. Although other systems based on encapsulation of liquid fats exist, they ate limited in delivery of liquid oils to a cheese matrix, for example, and presentation of these oils to the lipolytic enzymes present in the food.
To use yeast cell walls in the present invention, "~ partially purified yeast cell wall material (YCW) suspended in warm skim milk is combined with the low temperature liquid butterfat fraction and mixed. The YCW/flavor precursor oil mixture is then cooled to typical cheese making temperature and mixed with the vat milk. From this point on conventional cheese making techniques are employed to complete the manufacture of the cheese. T°he cheese must be aged for an appropriate time with or without added ripening enzymes at a prescribed temperature for the cheese flavors to develop.

3. ~omoaenizina A Substantial Portion of the Aaueous Protein Comgosition The methods of the present invention are to homogenize a substantial portion of the total quantity of an aqueous protein component after a .fat substitute is added. A
"substantial portion" is defined herein as 50-100 of the total aqueous protein added during manufacture of a filled dairy product. The homogenizing step may be followed by conventional processing steps, for example, adding an acidifying agent. This is of particular use for making cheese, for which manufacture of filled cheese using polyol fatty acid polyester (PFAP) is improved by homogenizing the PFAP in the presence of a substantial portion of the milk intended for cheese making, rather than only homogenizing a small portion of the milk protein. Preferably 1001 of the aqueous substitute protein is homogenized with the fat substitute, although 50-l0ak is suitable for the practice of the invention. Improvements result in flavor, texture and mouthfeel that mimic the full fat counterpart.
As indicated, improved quality products, based on flavor, appearance, texture and mouthfeel are produced with polyol fatty acid polyester material as a fat substitute if it is homogenized in the presence of the entire volume of '' milk to be used for cheese making.
14 This improvement may be due to better emulsification capacity existing when milk protein (caseins) are in excess during the homogenization step. This method more efficiently reestablishes lipid globule/water interface where many important reactions occur. Relating back to the four elements for flavor production, this effect is on spatial orientation. When the same style of cheese is made with butterfat instead of PFAP, and all of the milk protein is homogenized,. the texture of the product is very crumbly and brittle which does confirm the findings of Davis (1965). However, the present findings are contrary to the teachings of Bodenstein, that cheese made with a polyol polyester will be of inferior quality if all the aqueous protein is homogenized. "Homogenized" is defined herein as shearing the milk protein to droplets of less than 12 microns.
The present invention produces PFAP filled cheese products of a quality comparable to their high fat counterparts without an intermediate: step of making a filled cream, disproving previous teachings that high shear ~_ 30 applied to all the milk protein would result in an inferior product.
A crude PFAP emulsion is made by a number of methods such as, using low shear pumps, injection under pressure, passage through wire screens, sonication or a high speed blender. It is useful if the PFAP is melted and the milk is heated to approximately 150~F at this stage. Subsequent steps in a conventional dairy homogenizes can be campleted at lower temperatures which may be preferred. These steps are the "high shear" type of homogenization. Methods suitable for this step include injection under pressure into a flowing stream or spray drying. The latter process is associated with products having longer shelf life. The PFAP silk for cheese making.is then directly delivered to the cheese vat for cheese making.
In the methods of the present invention, the melted fat substitute or replacement fraction is combined with skim milk, which is warmed to a temperature of 150°F (65.5°C), and homogenized to form an emulsion. Cooling the emulsion to a temperature suitable for a particular cultured dairy prosiuct is facilitated, after which conventional processing procedures are employed suitable for a particular end product, for example, for cheddar cheese.
j,IET~LE.D DEBCRIP~ION O~,T:~S p~~ND EMHODrM8NT8 Embodiments of the flavor enhancement methods and compositions of the present invention vary in fat source for fractionation, method of fractionating the fat, composition of the fractions selected to add to a food, the food to which a fraction is added, the paint in the food processing when a fraction is added, and the nature of the components added in conjunction with the fraction, for example, fat substitutes.
Fats and oils are predominantly triesters of fatty acids and glycerol, commonly called "triglycerides." They are insoluble in water but soluble in most organic solvents. They have lower densities than water and at normal room temperatures range in consistency from liquids to solid appearing substances. When solid appearing, they are referred to as "fats" and when liquid they are called "oils." here the term "fat" will be applied to both liquid and solid appearing fats or oils.

The term "lipids" embraces a variety of chemical substances. In addition to triglycerides, it also includes mono- and diglycerides, phosphatides, cerebrosides sterols, terpenes, fatty alcohols, fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, and other substances.
The oils and fats most freguently used in the U.S. for salad and cooking oils, shortenings, margarines, and salad dressings include soybean, corn, cottonseed, palm, peanut, alive, low erucic acid rapeseed (canola), safflower, sunf lower, coconut, palm kernel, lard, and fallow.
Specialized vegetable oils of lesser availability in the U.S. include rice bran, shea nut, illipe, and sal.
Triglycerides normally represent over 95% of the'weight of most food fats and oils. The minor components include mono- and diglycerides, free fatty acids, phosphatides, sterols, fatty alcohols, tat-soluble vitamins, and other substances.
Saturated fatty acids contain only single carbon-to carbon bonds and are the least reactive chemically. The melting point of saturated fatty acids increases with chain length. Decanoic and longer chain acids are solids at normal room temperatures. Unsaturated. fatty acids. Fatty acids containing one or mare carbon-to-carbon double bonds are termed "unsaturated."
In the Geneva system of nomenclature, the carbons in a tatty acid chain are numbered consecutively from the end of the chain, the carbon of the carboxyl group being considered as number 1.
Fractionation of fat for the practice of the present invention is suitably performed by one: of the many methods known to the art. Choice of a method generally depends on the equipment available. Crystallization methods separate triglycerides based on their melting ;point, and there are other methods that rely on t'~e solubility or volatility of the triglyeeride species.

~ 02465547 2004-05-20 Fractionation is the removal of solids at selected temperatures. The most widely practiced form of fractionation is that of crystallization wherein a mixture of triglycerides is separated into two or more different melting fractions based on solubility at a given temperature.
As the chain length of the fatty acid increases, the melting point also generally increases. Thus, a short chain.saturated fatty acid such as butyric acid will have 1o a lower melting point than the saturated fatty acids with longer chains and even some of the higher molecular weight unsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, and these properties will be reflected in triglycerides. However, degree of saturation also effects melting paint, for example of triglycerides.
The term "dry fractionation" frequently is used to describe fractionation processes such as winterization or pressing. Winterization is a process whereby a small quantity of material is erystallized and removed from edible oils by filtration to avoid clouding of the liquid fractions at refrigeration temperatures. originally this pracessi.ng was applied to cottonseed oil by subjecting the oil to ambient winter temperatures, hence the term "winterization." Today many,oils, including cottonseed and partially hydrogenated soybean oils, are winterized. A
similar process called "dewaxing" ca,n he utilized to clarify oils containing trace amounts of clouding constituents.
Pressing is also a fractionation process sometimes used to separate liquid oil from solid fat. The process squeezes or "presses" the liquid oil from the solid fat by means of hydraulic pressure. This process is used commercially to produce hard butters and specialty fats from such oils as palm kernel and coconut.
Solvent fractionation is the term used to describe a process for the crystallization of a desired fraction from a mixture of triglycerides dissolved in a suitable solvent.
Fractions may be selectively crystallized at different temperatures after which the fractions are separated and the solvent removed. Solvent fractionation is practiced commercially to produce hard butters, specialty oils, and some salad oils from a wide array of edible oils.
A preferred source for the fat fractions is milk fat wherein the milk is not limited to cow's milk.
Fractionation by crystallization from melted milk fat is l0 also known as fractionation from the melt, or dry fractionation, because it does not employ solvents or additives. (Defense, 1992) Fractionation is a thermally controlled process in which the milk fat is subjected to a specific temperature-time profile to allow a portion of the milk fat to crystallize. The crystals are then physically separated from the liquid fraction using vacuum filtration, pressure filtration in a membrane filter press, centrifugation, an aqueous detergent solution, and other separation techniques. (See Kaylegian, 1992) 2o ?silk fat can also be fractioned from a solution of. milk fat that has been dissolved in a solvent prior to crystallization. The solvent generally employed is acetone, but solvents such as ethanol and pentane have also been used. This process is also thermally based and conducted in a manner similar to fractionation from melted milk fat, but an additional step occurs at the end of the process to remove the solvent.
?~.i.lk fat can also be fractionated by the use of supercritical carbon dioxide e~cttraction. I~iilk fat 3o fractions are selectively dissolved i~a the supercritical carbon dioxide by changing the temperature and pressure of the system. The carbon dioxide vaporizes at atmospheric conditions and, thus does not leave residues in the milk fat fractions.
Kankare and Alkia have shown that over 99~ of the cholesterol can be removed while fractionating fat an the _ .. ~ 02465547 2004-05-20 . . . . ._. _,., ___ _.__._~ . .... __ ..,._._...
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basis of triglyceride size using a method of extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide and by connecting an absorbent column filed with silica gel to the extracting system. Supercritical extraction operating under 5 conditions in which the temperature and pressure of the solvent gas are higher than their critical value, is suitable for enriching or improving compounds.
Milk fat has also been fractionated by short path distillation on a research scale. Short path distillation 10 ~ is a form of vacumn distillation used to separate compounds based on their molecular weight, melting temperature, volatility, and intermolecular interaction.
Depending on the fractionation method or combination of methods, it is possible to separate butterfat into a large 15 number of fractions. The physical and chemical characteristics of fat fractions determinable by methods reviewed by Amer et a3., 1985: In Tab:Les 1 and 2, the fatty acid distribution separated by chain length is compared to unfractionated butterfat (control) versus 20 fractions produced by a) short path distillation; or b) crystallization.
For short path distillation under the conditions used (190°C ~ 0.003 ma Hg) 3% of the volume of the original butterfat becomes a distillate (vapor) and the remaining 97% is a residue. The distribution in Table 1 shows an enrichment of the fractions for short chain fatty acids, in particular in the distillate.
The distribution of fatty acid chain lengths in the residue and the crystallization fractions at 45 °F and 74 °F, are similar to those of unfractionated butterfat.
Table 2 presents an analysis of the same components ass shown in Table 1, but showing carbon number instead of fatty acid chain length. Using carbon numbers as a yardstick, there is a greater enrichment for lover numbers in the fraction that is liquid at 45°F~as compared to that liquid at 74°F.

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r p ~o .. 2 3 _ Because an aspect of the present invention is to use only vne or a few of these fractions for flavor development, it is beneficial to have a simple screening method to help select the best fraction for a particular application.
The fat soluble dye Victoria Blue has been described for use in identifying microbial cultures which possess enzyme systems which mediate the conversion of triglyceride fat to free fatty acids, an initial step in the conversion of fat into cheese flavors. (Harrigan and McCance, 1976, pages 77, 373-374; Umemoto and Sota 175 a, b). For the purpose of the present invention, indicator plates have been developed in which the, fat soluble dye along with individual fat fractions are mixed with molten agar at 48°C, shaken vigorously and poured immediately into petri dishes. For the evaluation of fat fractions, wells are made in the agar with the .aid of one ml. pipet tip.
Dilutions of the enzyme are added to the wells and incubated at 30~C for up to 6 days. 1:f the enzyme~in the well is able to degrade the fat subfraction in the plate, a blue ring will form. Wells with blue zones around them contain enzymes which effectively degrade at least some of the triglycerides in the given fraction. Fat subfractions which do not indicate high activity in the. presence of a degrading agent are not selected for further trials for that choice of enzyme or culture, Cell free culture extracts may also be evaluated by this method.
Using this method it is possible to choose from a number of fat fractions to tailor the flavor of a product to consumer tastes. For purposes of the present invention, the ability of cultures characteristic of a food product to break down specified fat fractions, is tested by this method.
For reduced fat products, a fat mimetic or substitute is added to the food. A preferred substitute is a polyol polyester.
U.S. Patent Ho. 3,600,186, Plattson et al., relates sugar and sugar alcohol fatty acid polyesters as a low ,, calorie replacement for naraal triglyceride fat in food products.
Ziethods for preparing sugar and sugar alcohol fatty acid esters, and the composition c~f such esters ate disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,964, cola. 3-5. lip undesirable effect of liquid polyol fatty acid polyesters is to cause anal leakage. In an attempt to avoid this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,195 .and U.S. Pat. No.

4,005,196 of Jandacek, disclose a method of adding anti l0 anal leakage agents to the liquid polyesters.
other types of reduced.caloric fat substitutes are available, as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,964, col. 6;
U.S. Pat. No. 3,164,477 (sucresters); U.S. Pat. No.
4,83,0,787 (homogenized cyclamate esters); U.S. Pat. No.
4,199,608 (an edible glycerol ester); and U.S. Pat. No.
4,992,293 (thioesters).
Examples of food products with enhanced flavor effected by the present .invention, are presented in Examples 2-6.
For these examples, Olestra, available from Procter and 2o Gamble, was used as the sucrose polyester.
Contrary to teachings, of others, homogenizing a substantial portion of the aqueous protein composition used for some filled cultured dairy products made with a sucrose polyester, gave reduced fmt products that were comparable to their full fat counterparts as determined by a panel of experts.
Even more surprising was that synergism was observed between improvements due to flavor enhancement by adding precursor fractions and improvements due to homogenizing a substantial portion of nick protein when making cheese with sucrose polyester as a fat substitute (compare EXAMPLES 6 and 7 ) .

11 xathod for fractionation of euttertat A preferred source of fat for fractionation and use as a flavor precursor, is butterfat. The following method relates fractionation of butterfat by crystallization.
Results of fractionation are shown in Table 1 and 2 for 45°F and 74°F.
1. Approximately 1000 grams of anhydrous butterfat is melted at a temperature of 140°F (60°Cj by means of a steam jacketed kettle.
2. The melted butterfat from step .1 is fractionated into two components, the first approximately i20 grams of crystallized butterfat Which separates out at approximately 86°F; the second approximately 860 grams is liquid butterf at .
3. The liquid butterfat co~aponent of step 2 is further fractionated at approximately 72°F into approximately 330 grams of crystallized butterfat and 500 grams of liquid butterfat.
4. The liquid butterfat component of step 3 is further fractionated at approximately 40°F into approximately 47Q grams of crystallized butterfat and 30 grams of liquid butterfat.

5. Different fractions are selected depending on the type of cultured dairy product being produced; for example, the low melting fractions are preferred f or making Cheddar cheese, Whereas some of the higher melting fractions (e. g.
crystals forming at 86°F) may be included when making Parmesan cheese. Other cheeses produced by the present invention include Roquefort, Mozzarella and Swiss.
EZAt~hE 2 71 llothod of Incorporating Fractions of Huttorfat as flavor Proauraors iato Production of 3toduaod Fat Choos~
1. A fat replaced milk is prepared by combining skim milk, polyol fatty acid polyester, and a fraction obtained by fractionating butterfat as shown in Sxampla 1.
A. In illustrative embodiment for cheese production, the proportions of components are approximately 96.51 skim milk, approximately 3.4~ polyol fatty acid _- CA 02465547 2004-05-20 polyester, and approximately 0.1~ butter oil derived from a fraction that is liquid from 5°C - 22°C.
B. In an illustrative. embodiment for Parmesan, the proportions of components are approximately 9~.9~ skiar S milk, approximately 2.1~ polyol fatty acid polyester, and as flavor precursors, 0.05 butter oil derived from a fraction liquid at 5°C-22°C, and 0.05 butter oil fraction liquid at 22°C-30°C.
C. Proportions for other types of cultured dairy l0 products are determined by the absolute purity of the fraction being used for flavor development. The more pure the fraction, the less percent of it is required to be added to the other components.
Different fractions are selected as precursors for 15 different foods. It is expected that the purer the fractions, the less is needed for flavor development, under the assumption that the impurities do not contribute to ",.
flavor. To the extent a composition of a fraction is limited to a fraction (that .is, a C6 cl;aain length fatty 20 acid occurs in several fractions), and that composition participates in flavor development, the quantity of a fraction added to a food may be reduced.
2. The butterfat replaced milk of step 1 is homogenized by a two stage dairy homogenizer familiar to 25 those skilled in the art, and pasteurized by iethods well known to those skilled in the art.
3. The butterfat replaced milk of step 2 is placed in a vat for processing according to conventional methods, that is, according to methods for producing a cultured 30 dairy product that is not characterized by reduced fat content, i.e., the standard method. For exa=ple, the following are steps used to process cheese (See also.U.S.
Pat. 4,820,530):
A. Approximately 2000 lbs of the miwture of step 35 2 is placed in a cheese vat at a temperature of approximately 88°F.

B. Depending on the type of cheese to be produced, microbial starter cultures and adjunct cultures, are selected and added to the warmed mixture .
C. From 30-60 minutes after the starter cultures S ate added (dependent on the activity of the starter wherein starter activity is defined as the rate at which the cultures produce acid) the mixture is coagulated with enzymes, e.g. chymosin, at about 88°F for approximately 30 minutes, to produce a curd.
I0 D. The curd is cut into cubes; generally of about 3/8 inch in diameter.
E. The curd cut as in D is separated from the whey by cooking the mixture to approximately I02"P, stirring the cooked mixture to drive out the whey, and 15 draining the whey from the curd.
F. The curd is salted and, optionally, additional flavors may be added to what is provided by the present invention. In a preferred embodiment, the salt level is approximately 3.1 lbs per 1000 lbs of mixture in 20 the vat of step 4, additional commercial cheese ripening enzymes can be added at this point with the salt.
C. The cheese curds are then loaded into hoops and pressed.
H. The cheese is vacuum packed and aged at 25 approximately 45°F until flavor develops. For mild flavored cheeses, approximately 1-2 months of aging is preferred;
for medium cheeses, 3-4 months; for sharp cheeses, 5-6 months.

" 30 AOduced (50~) Ytt Cheddar ~:h~ose Produotioa xith 8ahano~sd plavor Development 1. Prepare a mixture of liquid butter oil (LB~) from a butterfat fraction as a flavor precursor and skim milk (mix, homogenize and pasteurize.) 35 2. Standardize cheese vat milk to 1.2% fat by adding the liquid butter oil to milk.

3. Add lactic starter culture at 1.25 level.
4. Ripen for 30-60 minutes at 88~F.
5. Add coagulant and suspend agitation for 30 minutes.

6. Cut coagulum into 3/8" cubes and let heal for 15 minutes.

7. Raise temperature to 102°F over 30 minutes.

8. Stir until the pH of the curd reaches 6Ø

9. Drain whey from curd over a 30 minute period.

10. Salt curd with NaCl when pH of curd is 5.6-5.8 additional cheese ripening enzymes can be added at this point with the salt.

11. Press cheese under vacuum.

12. Package cheese blocks in air tight. plastic bags.

13. Cure cheese blocks until flavor develops.
EZ~LE 4 ?at Fray Cheddar Ch~~s~ Production ~rith 8ahanea~d Flavor Develop=ent 1. Add a fat replacement (for example, a sucrose polyester) or fat mimetic to skim milk in a cheese vat at an approximately 2.5-3.6~ level..
2. Add a fraction of liquid butter oil as a flavor precursor to a level in vat silk which.will yield fat in,ffinal product of less than 1.74.x.
3. Add starter cultures [Streptococcus lactic;
Streptococcus cremvris; Lactobac,allus helveticus;
Streptococcus thermophil.is], adjunct cultures [Disety lactic ] and any ripening enzymes [ lipase, protease, and peptidase enzymes] to the c3zeese milk and ripen for about 30-60 minutes at 88°F.
4. Add coagulant and suspend agitation for 30 minutes to produce a coagulum.
5. Cut coagulum into 3/8" cubes and let heal for 15 minutes.
6. Raise temperature to 102°F 'over a 30 minute period.
7. Stir until curd pH reaches 6Ø
8. Drain whey from curd over a 3o mirmte period.

9. Salt curd with NaCl when pH of curd is above 5.6-5.8.
Additional cheese ripening enzymes are optionally added at this point with the salt.
10. Press cheese under vacuum.
11. Package cheese blocks in air tight plastic bags.
LZ. Cure cheese blocks until flavor develops.
SZA~PIrE 5 H~thod !or Producing Bat Fru Yogurt Having a Huttar Fraction as a Flavor Precursor i0 Table 3 summarizes steps to manufacture a fat free yogurt. A butterfat replacement is prepared which consists of 36% sucrose polyol polyester in skim milk. Approximately 5.5 pounds of this replacement is blended with approximately 88.5 pounds of condensed skim milk which has a composition of 20% solids, by means of a Hreddo Blender at 150°F for 60 seconds. The fat fraction of the present invention may be added here nr from any point on in the process, as Iong as the addition is at a point allowing time for flavor to develop.
The blended composition is then pasteurized by heating at approximately 185°F for about 30 minutes. The pasteurized composition is homogenized at a temperature of approximately 150°F at a pressure of 2500 psi by means of a Joulin single stage homogenizes (a 1500-5000 psi is suitable).
The homogenized mixtu=e is placed in a hold tank and mixed with about 6 pounds of a starter culture composition at about 35-40~F for 5 minutes by means of a tank agitation. The flavor precursor fraction is present at least by this time. The starter culture composition consists of a starter culture, about 12% NFDM (non-fat dry milk), and about 6.7% LHO (liquid butter oil fraction), prepared by mixing these ingredients far 16-18 hours at about 40°F. The starter culture includes Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Streptococcus the.z-mophili.s.

3p A filling machine portions the product into its containers. The product is in the hold tank. Packaging includes portioning the product into cups or pouches.
The packaged product is fermented at X08°F for about 3 hours, after which the finished product is cooled to abort 35 to 40°F.

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Product Evaluation of Commercial Full Fat and Fat Free Cheddars vs. Two Prototypes in arhich Flavor was Added According to the Invention A panel of five expert cheese graders evaluated products in blind tests generally conducted as follows:
Samples: Commercial Full Fat Cheddar (Kraft Natural Cheese); Fat Free Cheddar (Example 4) with flavor fraction;
and Fat Free Cheddar without flavor fraction and a ZO Commercial Fat Free Cheddar (Alpine Lace"' Cheddar). The flavor fraction was that fraction liquid at 45°C (see Tables I. and 2 . ) Products were evaluated for texture (T), mouthful (M), flavor (F), and overall acceptance (OA) on a 9 point Z5 hedonic scale. Samples were served refrigerated, cut into I/2" x 1/2" x 1.5" sticks.
Results:
T M F OA

1. Commercial Full Fat x.40 '7.40 6.20 6.80 Cheddar _ 20 2. Fut :':.cue Cheuuar vr.i.L~l .40 5.60 5.40 .20 Flavor System of the Present Invention 5.40 6.40 3.40 4.40 3. Fat Free Cheddar without Flavor System 25 4. Commercial Fat Free 2.40 :3.00 3.40 3.20 ~

Cheddar ' As can be seen from the results, a. commercial fat free Cheddar fell far short of the product evaluation of a commercial full fat Cheddar. A fat free Cheddar being 30 developed for use in the present invention showed flavor and overall acceptance to jump from levels associated with a commercial fat free Cheddar to a level of overall acceptance of full fat Cheddar, and to a flavor approaching that of a full fat Cheddar, when the methods of flavor 35 enhancement of the present invention were applied.

EYAMPhE 7 Product Evaluation of Commercial Full Fat and Fat Freo Cheddars vs. T~ro Prototypes prapared According to the Invention Combining the flavor enhancement steps and the improved cheese making steps of the present invention which include homogenizing a substantial pori:,ion of the aqueous protein composition with a polyol poly~aster (SPE) used as a fat substitute, showed an even greater concordance between full fat and fat free Cheddar cheese, than was shown in EXAMPLE 6. In this example all of the aqueous protein was subject to high shear homogenization with SPE.
A panel of expert graders evaluated the praducts in blind tests, the results of which are as follows:
Samples: 1. Commercial Full Fat Cheddar 2. Fat Free Cheddar with flavor system (all milk homogenized) 3. Fat Free Cheddar with flavor system (only 3.6% of the milk homogenized) Products were evaluated for texture (T) , mouthfeel (M) , flavor (F) , and overall liking (0L) on a 9 point hedonic scale. Samples were served refrigerated, cut into 1/2" x 1/2" X 2'° sticks.
Results:
_ ~ F OA

1. Commercial Full Fat 6.80 6.,70 7.20 7.20 Cheddar 2. Fat Free Cheddar with 5.80 5.80 6.30 6.30 Flavor System of the Present Invention (all Milk Homogenized) 3. Fat Free Cheddar With 5$0 5.00 6.30 6.20 Flavor System of the Present Invention (3,6~

of the Milk Homogenized) $EF~RENCES
The references listed below are incorporated herein by reference to the extent that they supplement, explain, pzovide a background for, or teach methodology, techniques.
and/or compositions employed herein.
Aver, M. A., et al., (1985) Physical and chemical characterization of butterfat fractions obtained by crystallization from molten fat, ROCS meeting, Philadelphia 1551-1557.
Hruhn, C. H. et al., (1992) Consumer attitudes and market potential for dairy products utilising fat substitutes, J.
of Dairy Sci., 75: 2569-2577.
Chapman and Sharpe (1981) in Robinson (1981).
Davis, J.G. (1965) Cheese. .basic 2'echnology, v.I., Aaerican Elsevier Publishing Company, Inc.
Deffense, E. (1992) Milk fat fractionation today. ADCs Hee ting, Toron to , May 10 , 1.9 9 2.
Fse a~~d Lindsay ( 1?93 ) ::."Q, 13.~.:a3 Of volatile branched chnin and other fatty~acids from ruminant milk fats by various lipases. J. Dairy Sci. 76:677-690 Harrigan, W.F. and McCance, M.E. (1976) Laboratory Methods i.n Food and Dairy Microbiology, Academic Press, N.Y.
Rayiegian, E., Hartel, R.N. and Lindsay, R.C. (1993) Applications of modified milk fat in food products, J. of Dairy Science 76: 1782-1796.
Raylegian, K. E. , and R. C. Lindsay (1692) Performance of selected milkfat fractions in cold-spreadable butter. J.
Dairy Sci. 75:3307.
Robinson, R.R. (1981) The Microbiology of Milk Products, v. 2, Chap. 6 in Dairy Microbiology, Applied Science Publishers, N.~J.
Daemoto, Y. and Sota, Y. (I975 a~) Lipolyeis by lactic acid bacteria recognized through color changes of dye-stained butterfats on double-layered agar plates. Milchrrisserschaft 30:591-594.; (i975 b) Relation of Cheddar cheese ripening to bacterial lipoiysis. Ag. and Eio. Chem. 39:2135-2122.
Q.S. Patent No. 3,164,477 U.S. Patent No. 3,600,186 U.S. Patent No. 4,005,195 U.S. Patent No. 4,005,196 U.S. Patent Ho. 4,191,964 U.S. Patent Ho. 4,199,608 U.S. Patent Ho. 4,324,804 U.S. Patent No. 4,820,530 U.S. Patent No. 4,830,78?
U.S. Patent No. 4,919,964 U.S. Patent No. 4,992,293

Claims (25)

1. A cheese product containing 30-65 wt% dry matter and less than 65 wt% fat on a dry matter basis and containing more than 2 wt% of a polyol fatty acid polyester and less than 6 wt %
triglyceride fat, said triglyceride fat derived from a butterfat fraction which is liquid at 74°F or lower.

2. A method for preparing a cultured dairy product that has a reduced fat content, said method comprising;
(a) homogenizing a mixture of a fat substitute and a substantial portion of an aqueous protein composition; and (b) processing the mixture to form a cultured dairy product.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the fat substitute is a polyol fatty acid polyester.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the polyol fatty acid polyester is less than about 6% of the homogenized mixture.

5. The method of claim 3 or 4, wherein the polyol polyester is a sucrose polyester.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the sucrose polyester is derived from soybean oil and has a complete melting point of 148°F.

7. the method of any one of claims 2 to 6, wherein the cultured dairy product is a cheese.

8. The method of anyone of claims 2 to 7, wherein the homogenized mixture is inoculated with an acidifying agent.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the acidifying agent is an organic acid.

10. the method of claim 8, wherein the acidifying agent is a starter characteristic of Cheddar cheese products.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the acidifying agent is a cheese starter characteristic of Mozzarella, Swiss or Parmesan.

12. The method of any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the acidifying agent is added at a temperature of between 65-94°F.

13. The method of any one of claims 2 to 12, further comprising adding a small amount of a fat fraction during the manufacturing process of the dairy product at or prior to flavor development, and allowing the flavor to develop by means conventional to the product.

14. The method of any one of claims 2 to 13, wherein the substantial portion comprises at least 50% of the quantity of aqueous protein composition relative to the finished product.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the substantial amount is 100% of the quantity of aqueous protein composition.

16. A cultured dairy product that has a reduced fat content, said product made by a method comprising:
(a) combining a substantial amount of aqueous protein composition with a fat substitute;
(b) homogenizing the combination; and (c) processing the homogenized combination to form a cultured dairy product.

17. The product of claim 16, wherein the fat substitute is a polyol fatty acid polyester.

18. The product of claim 17, wherein the polyol polyester is a sucrose polyester.

19. The product of claim 18, wherein the sucrose polyester is derived from soybean oil and has a complete melting point of 148°F.

20. The product of any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the cultured dairy product is a cheese.

21. The product of any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein an acidifying agent is added.

22. The product of claim 21, wherein the acidifying agent is an organic acid

23. The product of claim 21, wherein the acidifying agent is a cheese starter characteristic of a Cheddar cheese product.

24. The product of claim 21, wherein the acidifying agent is added at a temperature of between 65-94°F.

25. The product of any one of claims 16 to 24, further comprising adding a small amount of a fat fraction during the manufacturing process of the dairy product at or prior to flavor development, and allowing the flavor to develop by means conventional to the product.