Cheddar Lexicon
Some of the common flavors found in cheddar cheese.
Adapted from Drake, M.A. et al. 2001.
(Development of a Descriptive Language for Cheddar Cheese)
What is a "Lexicon"?
A sensory lexicon is a list of terms that describe a product. It can also be described as the "sensory language" used to evaluate quality parameters of foods. Here, an example of a cheddar lexicon is presented. Some common tastes/flavors are defined and given a reference. The reference is used to help reinforce finding that attribute in the cheese.
| Attribute | Definition | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet | Basic taste sensation elicited by sugars | 5% sucrose in water |
| Salt | Basic taste sensation elicited by salt | 0.5% NaCl in water |
| Acid | Basic taste sensation elicited by acids, sour | 0.08% citric or lactic acid in water |
| Bitter | Basic taste sensation elicited by bitter compounds | 0.05% caffeine in water |
| Umami | Basic taste sensation elicited by peptides & nucleotides. Appetitive taste. Savoriness. Induces salivation and furriness sensation on tongue, throat, roof and back of the mouth. | 1% MSG in water |
| Cooked | Aromas and flavors associated with heated milk. Includes sulfurous, sweet and browned notes. | pasteurized skim milk, heated to 85°C for 30 min |
| Cowy/barny | Aroma associated with barns and barn animals, indicative of animal sweat and waste | p-cresol 160 ppm in PG |
| Butter (Diacetyl) | Aromatics commonly associated with natural, fresh butter | Unsalted butter, diacetyl 20 ppm |
| Milky (Lactones) | Aromatics and flavor commonly associated with milk or fresh cream. | fresh coconut meat, heavy cream, d-dodecalactone 40ppm |
| Scorched/Burnt | Aroma associated with extreme heat treatment of milk proteins | Milk heated to 121°C for 25 min |
| Whey | Aromatics associated with cheese whey | fresh whey |
| Butyric (rancid) | Aroma and flavors associated with butyric acid, cheesy, baby-breath/vomit. | buryric acid, 20ppm in PG, provolone |
| Waxy | Aromatics associated with medium chain fatty acids | lauric acid, myristic acid, 100 mg/mL |
| Soapy | Aromatics associated with long chain fatty acids, saponification | Palmitic acid, Oleic acid, 100mg/mL |
| Oxidized | Aroma associated with oxidized fat | 2,4 decadienal 20 ppm, heat-struck milk |
| Cardboard | Aroma associated with wet cardboard | 2,4,6 trichloroanisole, cardboard soaked in deionized water |
| Grassy/Feed | Aromatics and flavor commonly associated with grass, cow feed, alphalpha, hay. | Grass-fed cheddar, Hay soaked in water |
| Fruity | Aromatics associated with different fruits | fresh pineapple, ethyl hexanoate 20 ppm, ethyl butirate 2ppm |
| Rosy / Floral | Aroma assciated with flowers | linalool, 2-phenethylamine, 20 ppm |
| Sulfur | Aromatics associated with sulfurous compounds | boiled mashed egg, H2S boiled through water, struck match, Vermont cheddar |
| Brothy | Aromatics associated with boiled meat or vegetable soup stock | canned potatoes, broth cubes, methional, 20 ppm |
| Green | Aroma associated with freshly cut green vegetables | freshly cut bell pepper, methoxy pyrazine, 5 ppb, parsley water |
| Nutty | Nut-like aromatic associated with different nuts | lightly toasted unsalted nuts, roasted peanut oil extract |
| Ketone (bleu) | Aroma associated with blue-veined cheeses | 2-octanone 40 ppm, or 3-octanol 10,000ppm in PG |
| Musty | Aromatics associated with closed air spaces, dry | 2,4,6-trimethoxy benzaldehyde, geosmin |
| Earthy | Aromatic characteristic of damp soil, wet foilage, cave-like | Geosmin (4,000ppm in PG), methyl isoborneol |
| Yeasty | Aromatics associated with fermenting yeast | raw yeast dough, yeast in 3% warm sucrose water |
| Catty | Aroma associated with tom-cat urine | 2-mercapto-2-methylpentan-4-one 20 ppm |
| Fecal | Aroma associated with complex protein decomposition | indole, skatole; 20 ppm |
| Prickle | Chemical feeling factor of which the sensation of carbonation on the tongue is typical | soda water |
| Metallic | Chemical feeling factor of metallic sensation in mouth | Canned pineapple |
| Astringent | Harsh, drying, puckering sensation on the surfaces of the mouth. | Alum solutions |
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