Cheese is “now the main event,” according to “Food Flavors and Ingredients Outlook 2008,” published by Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com.  According to the report, “Key trends in cheese all point to its growing importance on menus and in the diets of Americans. No longer is cheese something that goes with the main feature; now it is the main feature.” Also, artisanal cheeses are the fastest-growing segment of the cheese industry, with an average annual growth rate of 15% over the past five years. That growth is predicted to continue through 2008, especially with a broader artisanal movement that includes chocolates and bakery.

As artisanal breads and cheeses are gaining popularity at the table, Gamay Flavors has developed a line of cheese flavors that are heat-stable and able to increase formulation flexibility in these popular baked goods. The company’s heat-stable Withstand® and Ultra Withstand® lines of cheese flavors include cheddar, Parmesan, Romano, blue, Swiss, Asiago and Monterey Jack. Beyond heat stability, the company claims its Ultra cheese flavor line has many other desirable attributes, including concentrations that are unconventionally high; allowance for reduced usage rates; label friendliness (not containing MSG or other artificial flavors); cost savings over real cheese and traditional flavors; high assurance of quality and performance; and balanced flavor.

The Gamay Withstand and Ultra Withstand lines of cheese flavors also offer high formulation flexibility. For example, within the cheddar flavor range, several cheddar flavor variations exist. Withstand #8150K, available in a powdered or paste form, is a natural cheese flavor that is able to survive intense heat processing, while retaining the fine character of cheese in finished baked goods. It is recommended for crackers, biscuits, pretzels and snack foods, while still allowing the label statements of either “Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese Flavor,” “Natural Flavor” or “Natural Cheddar Cheese Flavor.” Both Ultra Withstand Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese Powder #37045A and Ultra Withstand Enzyme Modified Cheddar Cheese #37045A (paste) are enzyme-modified flavors that impart the fine, cheddar flavor that can be used in microwavable foods, sauces, cheeses, baked goods, snack foods, dips and similar products.

Gamay has a long expertise in cheese products—when it began its operation in 1987, it was with Dr. Aly Gamay’s vision of bringing fat-free cheese to market. In 1992, he saw a need for dairy flavor solutions in the market, so the manufacturing facility in New Berlin, Wis. was opened. Gamay also houses a technical center that has created a number of breakthroughs in flavors, ranging from its enzyme-modified cheeses for the process cheese industry, to heat-stable dairy flavors. According to Cary Gammons, business development manager at the company, “As our basic Asiago cheese recipe for drop biscuits demonstrates below, our technical center can guide clients in capitalizing on market trends from conception to finished product.”  pf
—Kerry Hughes, Contributing Editor

For more information:
Gamay Flavors • New Berlin, Wis.
Dawn Moore • 262-789-5104, ext. 101
dmoore@gamayflavors.com • www.gamayflavors.com