Text Box: 11:10 AM Text Box: CHEMISTRY & NUTRITION Text Box: Accelerated ripening by enzyme modified application in Swiss cheese Text Box: Danis Feliz-Perez and Dr. Harper Text Box: There is a desire to accelerate the ripening of Swiss cheese, and to develop cheese with a flavor that will carry through better in cooked dishes. Our hypothesis: the addition of selected enzymes can accelerate the ripening and also add new flavor notes. The objectives were: to enzyme modify Swiss cheese to accelerate the development of flavor and to determine the changes in flavor after microwave heating. Swiss cheeses (150g) were produced using commercial enzymes to accelerate the ripening. Accelerzyme R CPG, a peptidase, and Lipomod TM 621P – L621P, a mixed esterase, protease, and peptidase were used at different concentrations. Chemical differentiation of the Swiss cheeses was done using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Cheese flavor compounds were extracted using water-chloroform-ethanol solvents. An aliquot (10 µl) of the supernatant was applied to a zinc selenide crystal, vacuum dried, and IR spectra collected in the mid-infrared region of 4000-700 cm-1. The results showed that after 60 days of ripening the Swiss cheese overall flavor was intensified. Both enzymes intensified the flavor, but the Lipomod caused distinct bitter and rancid flavors that disappeared on heating without loss of nuttiness. All the samples were differentiated based on the infrared spectra with major differentiation based on organic acid, short chain fatty acid, and ester flavor compounds, found mainly in the 1000-1500 cm-1 region. In conclusion, the use of commercial enzymes produced strong Swiss cheese flavor after heat application without affecting nuttiness which could assist the food service industry with a cheese with a better carry through flavor in cooked dishes.