Enzymatic Modification of Milk Flavor

Until recently enzymatic action in milk has been regarded as undesirable. So most of the attention has been given to inactivating the enzymes, rather than using them. But research in the last few years indicate that enzymatic modification of milk may be feasible in some cases. Enzymes reported to affect milk flavor are either oxidative or hydrolytic. Table I shows the oxidative enzymes and their real or potential effect. In 1931 Kende ( 1 ) reported that an enzyme which he called oleinase was involved in oxidized flavor development. This conclusion was based primarily on the fact that oxidized flavor development was inhibited by heat treatment. It was assumed that the inhibition was a result of the inactivation of "oleinase". It was not recognized at that time that heat treatment tends to inhibit oxidation, presumably by producing active sulfhydryl groups. The existence of an oleinase was never confirmed but people are still