
Eureka! After about a century of research, Swiss scientists have finally cracked the mystery of the holes in Swiss cheese.
Despite what you may have been told as a child, they are not caused by mice nibbling away inside cheese wheels.
Experts from Agroscope, a state centre for agricultural research, said the phenomenon -- which marks famous Swiss cheeses such as Emmental and Appenzell -- was caused by tiny bits of hay present in the milk and not bacteria as previously thought.
They found that the mystery holes in such cheeses became smaller or disappeared when milk used for cheese-making was extracted using modern methods.
"It's the disappearance of the traditional bucket" used during milking that caused the difference, said Agroscope spokesman Regis Nyffeler, adding that bits of hay fell into it and then eventually caused the holes.
Agroscope said the subject had been under study since at least 1917 when American William Clark published a detailed study and came to the conclusion that it was caused by carbon dioxide released by bacteria present in the milk.
Agroscope scientists noted that Swiss cheeses had fewer holes over the past 10 to 15 years as open buckets were replaced by sealed milking machines which "completely did away with the presence of tiny hay particles in the milk".
GMT 15:13 2018 Saturday ,20 January
US 'erred' in supporting WTO membership for China, RussiaGMT 17:22 2018 Thursday ,18 January
US industrial output in 2017 posts biggest gain since 2010GMT 17:12 2018 Thursday ,18 January
No more bonuses for Carillion bosses after UK collapseGMT 17:20 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
EU to remove Panama, South Korea from tax haven blacklistGMT 17:16 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Citigroup reports steep Q4 losses tied to US tax reformGMT 17:11 2018 Wednesday ,17 January
Pressure rises on British govt over Carillion collapseGMT 17:52 2018 Monday ,15 January
Iran jetliner deal could take longer to complete, Airbus saysGMT 17:44 2018 Monday ,15 January
EU to remove Panama, Korea, UAE, 5 others from tax haven blacklist
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor