Science & Technology

Mystery of the holes in Swiss cheese solved

By T.K. Randall
May 29, 2015

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) The holes are perhaps one of the most distinctive characteristics of Swiss cheese, a culinary favorite that originated in the area around Emmental in Switzerland.

Scientists have long attributed them to carbon dioxide released by bacteria inside the cheese, an idea that was first put forward by American scientist William Clark in a paper published in 1917.

Now however it turns out that the real culprit is actually something entirely different.New findings from a labratory in Switzerland have revealed that it is microscopic hay particles, not bacteria, that result in the formation of the distinctive holes.

The particles fall in to the buckets used to collect milk and subsequently make their way in to the cheese where they form larger and larger holes as the cheese matures.

Scientists believe that this also explains why the holes have been getting smaller in recent years as modern farming methods have resulted in fewer hay particles ending up in the milk.

Source: BBC News

Tags: Swiss Cheese