Flavor Compounds Commonly Used for Dairy Flavors

Here is a comprehensive list of flavor compounds that exhibit a typical dairy flavor note (buttery, creamy, cheesy, milky, or yoghurt-like). Dairy flavors can contain more flavor notes.

These are organized by their chemical class and sensory contribution. All entries include their FEMA GRAS number.

1. Lactones (Creamy, Coconut, Peach-Like, Fatty-Milk)

Lactones are critical for the fatty, creamy, sweet mouthfeel of butter, cream, and cooked milk.

• γ-Octalactone – FEMA 2796 (Coconut, creamy)
• γ-Nonalactone (Aldehyde C-18) – FEMA 2781 (Coconut, creamy)
• γ-Decalactone – FEMA 2360 (Peach, rich creamy)
• δ-Decalactone – FEMA 2361 (Butter, cream, lard)
• γ-Undecalactone (Aldehyde C-14) – FEMA 3091 (Peach, fatty)
• δ-Undecalactone – FEMA 3294 (Buttery, creamy)
• γ-Dodecalactone – FEMA 2400 (Tropical, fatty milk)
• δ-Dodecalactone – FEMA 2401 (Butter, pork fat, creamy)
• δ-Tetradecalactone – FEMA 3590 (Buttery, milky)

2. Methyl Ketones (Blue Cheese, Spoiled Cream)

Primarily associated with cheese, particularly blue-veined cheese and cultured butter.

• 2-Heptanone – FEMA 2544 (Blue cheese, spicy, fruity)
• 2-Nonanone – FEMA 2785 (Cheesy, waxy, fruity)
• 2-Undecanone – FEMA 3093 (Waxy, creamy, cheesy)
• 2-Tridecanone – FEMA 3388 (Cheesy, oily, herbaceous)
• 2-Pentadecanone – FEMA 3724 (Milky, fruity)

3. Fatty Acids (Short to Medium Chain)

These provide the sour, cheesy, and pungent notes present in fermented dairy.

• Acetic Acid – FEMA 2006 (Sharp, sour)
• Butyric Acid – FEMA 2221 (Rancid butter, cheese)
• Caproic Acid (Hexanoic) – FEMA 2559 (Goaty, cheesy)
• Caprylic Acid (Octanoic) – FEMA 2799 (Waxy, musty, oily)
• Capric Acid (Decanoic) – FEMA 2364 (Rancid, fatty)
• Lauric Acid (Dodecanoic) – FEMA 2614 (Metallic, fatty)
• Propionic Acid – FEMA 2924 (Swiss cheese, pungent)
• Isobutyric Acid – FEMA 2222 (Rancid butter, cheesy)
• Isovaleric Acid – FEMA 3102 (Sweaty, cheesy, ripe cheese)

4. Diacetyl and Related Carbonyls (Butter, Yoghurt)

These are the quintessential "butter flavor" compounds.

• Diacetyl (2,3-Butanedione) – FEMA 2370 (Intense butter, the gold standard)
• Acetoin (3-Hydroxy-2-butanone) – FEMA 2008 (Buttery, creamy, mild)
• 2,3-Pentanedione – FEMA 2841 (Buttery, slightly sharper than diacetyl)
• Acetaldehyde – FEMA 2003 (Green, but critical for yoghurt aroma; 20-40 ppm is signature yoghurt note)

5. Esters (Fruity Dairy, Yoghurt, Cheese)

• Ethyl Butyrate – FEMA 2427 (Fruity, pineapple, but present in fresh milk and cream)
• Ethyl Caproate (Ethyl Hexanoate) – FEMA 2439 (Fruity, fermented dairy)
• Ethyl Lactate – FEMA 2440 (Mild buttery, creamy ether)
• δ-Damascone – FEMA 4890 (Cooked apple/dairy, contributes to creamy body in dairy matrices)

6. Sulfur Compounds (Cooked Milk, Cheese Rind)

These are potent and usually present at trace levels.

• Dimethyl Sulfide – FEMA 2746 (Canned corn, but integral to fresh milk and condensed milk)
• Dimethyl Trisulfide – FEMA 3275 (Cabbage, sulfurous; appears in aged cheese rinds)
• Methanethiol – FEMA 2716 (Putrefaction, but vital for cheddar/aged cheese breakdown)
• 2-Methyl-3-furanthiol – FEMA 3788 (Meaty, coffee; found in cooked beef and processed cheese)
• 2,5-Dimethyl-4-hydroxy-3(2H)-furanone (Furaneol) – FEMA 3174 (Caramelized sugar, strawberry; exists in pineapple and milk products; contributes to sweet dairy note)

7. Aldehydes (Green/Creamy)

• Hexanal – FEMA 2557 (Green grass, but characteristic of raw cream/milk fat oxidation at low levels)
• (E)-2-Nonenal – FEMA 3213 (Cardboard, fatty; classic "aged" milk/warmed-over flavor; typical dairy defect, but recognized as a dairy fatty note)
• Vanillin – FEMA 3107 (Creamy vanilla; naturally present in some dairy powders)

Summary of Key "Target" Dairy Compounds

If you are specifically trying to replicate milk/butter/cream:

1. Diacetyl (Butter)
2. Acetoin (Mild cream)
3. δ-Decalactone (Rich cream)
4. δ-Dodecalactone (Butter fat)
5. Butyric Acid (Cheese/Brown butter)

If you are replicating cheese:

1. Methyl Ketones (2-Heptanone, 2-Nonanone)
2. Isovaleric Acid (Ripe cheese)
3. Methional (FEMA 2747) (Boiled potato/cheese rind)

Dairy Flavor Demo Formulas

Dosages (usage levels) for flavor compounds in formulas is challenging because they vary drastically based on:

1. Application: (Yoghurt drink vs. hard candy vs. margarine vs. baked goods).
2. Form: (Water-soluble liquid vs. oil-soluble vs. spray-dried powder).
3. Cost constraints.
4. Legislative limits (FEMA GRAS limits are often higher than practical sensory limits).

Provided below are standard compounding percentages (wt/wt %) used within the flavor concentrate itself before it is dosed into food, as well as the recommended dosage of the flavor into the final food product.

Given below are three distinct dairy flavor formulas (Concentrated Liquid Flavors) representing different ends of the dairy spectrum.

General Rule of Thumb

• In Flavor Concentrate: Diacetyl is rarely used above 5-10% in the formula; it is extremely potent and can smell like "movie popcorn" or stale butter if overdosed. Lactones usually make up 10-30% of a cream flavor base.
• In Food Product: Flavors are typically dosed at 0.05% – 0.2% (500 – 2000 ppm).

Formula 1: Sweet Cream / Fresh Milk Flavor (W/S)

Application: Milk beverages, ice cream, coffee creamers.
Profile: Clean, fatty, slightly cooked milk, no rancidity.

• Recommended Dosage (Finished Product): 0.1% (1000 ppm).
• Key Ratio: Note the extremely low levels of Diacetyl and DMS. Fresh milk has trace DMS and almost no detectable Diacetyl.

Formula 2: Cultured Butter / Churned Butter Flavor (O/S)

Application: Margarine, biscuits, popcorn oil, bakery fats.
Profile: Rich, salty butter, slight sourness, diacetyl forward.

• Recommended Dosage (Finished Product): 0.1% – 0.15% (1000–1500 ppm).
• Key Ratio: The ratio of Diacetyl to Acetoin is critical. Ideal Diacetyl:Acetoin ratio is roughly 1:3 for natural butter. Too much Diacetyl smells like microwave popcorn.

Formula 3: Blue Cheese / Gorgonzola Type (O/S)

Application: Salad dressings, sauces, snacks.
Profile: Pungent, ketonic, waxy, fatty acid bite.

*Methyl Ketone Mix: Often a natural product of microbial fermentation; synthetic replacers usually blend C7, C9, C11.

• Recommended Dosage (Finished Product): 0.2% – 0.5% (2000–5000 ppm). Cheese flavors are typically used higher than sweet flavors.
• Key Ratio: High methyl ketones, high short-chain fatty acids (C4, C6, C8). Lactones are used sparingly to prevent it tasting like "cheesecake" instead of blue cheese.

Important Technical Notes on Dosages:

1. Potency Adjustments:
   • Diacetyl: Very rarely used neat. It is usually diluted to 1% or 10% in a solvent for compounding. In Formula 1 above, "Diacetyl (10% PG)" means the raw material is already 90% solvent, so the absolute Diacetyl in the final flavor is only 0.2% .
   • Sulfur/Methional: Almost always handled as a 0.1% dilution. 1 kg of pure Methional smells as strong as several tons of cheese.
2. Solids vs. Liquids:
   • If you are making a powdered flavor (spray-dried), the liquid formula above is typically sprayed onto a carrier (maltodextrin, starch). The dosage of the powder into food is usually higher (0.5% – 1.0%) because the powder is only 20% flavor oil and 80% carrier.
3. Natural vs. Artificial:
   • The formulas above are technically "Nature Identical" or "Artificial" depending on the source of the raw materials. Natural dairy flavors are often based on Cream Extract or Cultured Milk Distillates rather than neat chemicals, and the dosage of the extract itself is much higher (2% – 5% in food) because the actives are dilute.

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