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Updated: Jul 20, 2026

Synthesis of Esters Via a Greener Steglich Esterification in Acetonitrile
Published on: October 30, 2018
Ethyl ester formation is enhanced by ethanol addition in mini Swiss cheese with and without added propionibacteria
Anne Thierry1, Marie-Bernadette Maillard, Romain Richoux
1UMR Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Oeuf, INRA-Agrocampus Rennes, 65 rue de Saint-Brieuc, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France. anne.thierry@rennes.inra.fr
Abstract:
Esters are important contributors to cheese flavor, but their mechanisms of synthesis in cheese are largely unknown. This study aimed to determine whether ethanol concentration limits the formation of ethyl esters in cheese. Mini Swiss cheeses were manufactured with (E) or without (C) the addition of ethanol to cheese milk. Ethanol concentrations (enzymatic analysis) were 64 +/- 17 and 330 +/- 82 microg g(-1), respectively, in C and E cheeses. E cheeses also contained 5.4 +/- 2.3 times more of the five ethyl esters quantified than C cheeses, regardless of the concentrations of esters in C cheeses (range 1-128 ng g(-1)). Furthermore, the presence of propionibacteria added as acid-producing secondary starters was associated with greater concentrations of esters, due to the increase in acid concentrations that propionibacteria induced and/or to an involvement of propionibacteria enzymes in ester synthesis. This study demonstrates that ethanol is the limiting factor of ethyl ester synthesis in Swiss cheese.
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