Yarrowia lipolytica is among the most frequently occurring species in the secondary fl ora of blue cheeses.
This organism produces a range of important aroma compounds for blue cheese fl avour when cultured
outside of cheese. However, trends in aroma pro fi les that are observed with instrumental analysis are not
always evident in the perception of the aroma with sensory analysis. The odour perception of micro-
biological models combining Penicillium roqueforti and Y. lipolytica blue cheese isolates were compared
with the odour of real blue cheeses using the technique of Flash pro fi ling. Assessors (n ¼ 9) ranked the
samples according to their blue cheese odour intensity and discriminated the P. roqueforti þ Y. lipolytica
model from the model only containing P. roqueforti which was included as a control. The synergy between
Y. lipolytica and the mould appears to be responsible for the production of blue cheese odour.