Analysis of Cheddar cheese flavor using trained sensory and grading panels is expensive and time consuming. A rapid and simple solvent extraction procedure in combination with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was developed for classifying Cheddar cheese based on flavor quality. Fifteen Cheddar cheese samples from 2 commercial production plants were ground into powders using liquid nitrogen. The water-soluble compounds from the cheese powder, without interfering compounds such as fat and protein, were extracted using water, chloroform, and ethanol. Aliquots (10 microL) of the extract were placed on a zinc selenide crystal, vacuum dried, and scanned in the mid-infrared region (4,000 to 700 cm(-1)). The infrared spectra were analyzed by soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA) for pattern recognition. Sensory flavor quality of these cheeses was determined by trained quality assurance personnel in the production facilities. The SIMCA models provided 3-dimensional classification plots in which all the 15 cheese samples formed well-separated clusters. The orientation of the clusters in 3-dimensional space correlated well with their cheese flavor characteristics (fermented, unclean, low flavor, sour, good Cheddar, and so on). The discrimination of the samples in the SIMCA plot was mainly due to organic acids, fatty acids and their esters, and amino acids (1,450 to 1,350 and 1,200 to 990 cm(-1)), which are known to contribute significantly to cheese flavor. The total analysis time, including the sample preparation time, was less than 20 min per sample. This technique can be a rapid, inexpensive, and simple tool to the cheese industry for predicting the flavor quality of cheese.