Genomics and high-throughput screening approaches for optimal flavour production in dairy fermentation

Most fermented dairy products are manufactured using mixed starter cultures. These cultures are usually a well-balanced mixture of several different lactic acid bacteria. For the development of novel or improved dairy products, flavour characteristics are generally a primary target. In recent years, a number of high-throughput screening tools have emerged allowing the targeted selection of flavour-forming cultures and these will be illustrated with relevant examples. This includes methods directly targeting flavour production such as GC-MS analysis of flavour profiles on the head space of fermentation fluids. High-throughput tools and DNA microarrays are valuable tools for elucidating the regulatory responses to different substrates and processing conditions thus allowing rational intervention in fermentations to improve flavour production. Finally, genome-scale metabolic models are used to predict the production of relevant (flavour) components and to expand our knowledge about flavour-forming pathways. The integration of these approaches is anticipated to strengthen culture development programs enabling the production of well-tasting, fermented dairy products. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.