Organic Acid and Residual Sugar Variation in a South African Cheddar Cheese and Possible Relationships with Uniformity

The variations that occur amongst the organic acids and residual sugars of matured Cheddar cheeses made by the conventional open-vat system were investigated. Minimum and maximum (min/max), standard deviations and proposedXrel parameters were determined for cheeses graded by a trained sensory panel and of uniform flavour and quality. These parameters showed notable variation amongst the various organic acids investigated whereas the min/max ranges were utilized as indicators for upper and lower limits of Cheddar cheese with the desired flavour. No residual sugars were detected in any of the cheeses with the analytical methodology used. The min/max variation of the respective acids as percentiles of their maximum recorded values (Xrel) was proposed as measures of uniformity, suggesting that those having smallXrel values are stronger related to uniformity of Cheddar flavour than in the case of largerXrel . Based on this suggestion, lactic, oxalic, n -valeric and acetic acids were more accurate indicators of uniformity. By noting the levels of these indicators during development of a particular cheese, some predictions as to its ability to develop the desired flavour may be made.