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FAQ: Microbes Make the Cheese: Report on an American Academy of Microbiology Colloquium held in Washington, DC, in June 2014. Washington (DC): American Society for Microbiology; 2015. doi: 10.1128/AAMCol.June.2014

Cover of FAQ: Microbes Make the Cheese

FAQ: Microbes Make the Cheese: Report on an American Academy of Microbiology Colloquium held in Washington, DC, in June 2014.

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Figure 7.. Swiss cheese and its characteristic holes created by the action of Propionibacterium freundenreichii bacteria.

Figure 7.

Swiss cheese and its characteristic holes created by the action of Propionibacterium freundenreichii bacteria. P. freundenreichii grows during ripening at 24°C and ferments lactate to acetate, propionate, and CO2. The propionate and acetate provide the sweet and nutty flavor of the cheese and the CO2 helps in “eye” creation. Generally, the longer the Swiss is aged, the larger the eyes will be (A). Additional conditions that affect eye formation include acid content and temperature which can be altered to control the size of the eye. True Swiss has eyes that are cherry to walnut-sized. Swiss manufactured in the US, however, tends to have smaller eyes as a result of a shorter aging process (B).

Image A retrieved from © iStockphoto.com/Givaga. Image B retrieved from © iStockphoto.com/Joe Biafore.

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