I remember reading a story long ago about how the holes in Swiss cheese were getting smaller because the antibiotics Swiss dairy farmers were using were killing the microbes that make them.
How did they reverse this trend? Or did they? Are the holes made manually now or have the farmers stopped doping their stock with antibiotics?
(I’ll be very disappointed if this topic doesn’t draw a reply from Arnold.)
I thought it was because they were keeping their new stainless steel mixing tanks too clean.
Alas, Ursa, I’ll try and share my feeble knowledge.
When people think of “swiss cheese”, they usually mean Emmental, because that’s the cheese with the big holes in it. (I personally come from Gruyere country, which cheese has very tiny holes if any.) As you mention, the holes are caused by bacteria that produce carbon dioxide “pockets” while the cheese is ripening. Emmental cheese is ripened at a higher temperature than other cheeses (around 20 - 23 °C if I remember right) which explains how the holes get bigger (the bacteria like the higher temperature I think.)
I don’t know if the trend is being reversed. I do know that a couple of years ago a bacteria resistant to antibiotics was found in Swiss cheese (I think this was in Science News or some such magazine). That discovery was used by opponents of antibiotics to bolster their claims that we’re just creating stronger microbes. However, I don’t know if this bacteria resistant to antibiotics is the same as the one that causes the holes in swiss cheese. I assumed it was. I’ll poke around the web, but so far a cursory search hasn’t revealed a definitive answer.
According to information at the following site:
http://web.newscientist.com/lastword/answers/lwa176house.html
many factors affect the size of holes in “Swiss cheese.”
I don’t think enough antibiotics end up in dairy milk to seriously inhibit the growth of Lactococcus cremorus, lactobacilli and lactate-fermenting propionibacteria that are responsible for the holes. If there were, you could add more bacteria.
You guys don’t know nuthin’. The holes are caused by the mice that crawl around the cheesatorium. They are getting smaller 'cause there are less mice now that the Emmentalers got a cat.
don’t press submit…don’t press submit…con’t press submit…