Cheese mite
mite used in cheese production
Cheese mites are mites which live in food, grain and plant leaves.
Cheese mites under magnification
They are sometimes found in flour but prefer cheese.[1] Refrigerated cheese is not usually affected as they prefer warm, damp foods.[1] Cheese mites are used to make certain cheeses. Milbenkäse and Mimolette are two examples.[2] The action of the mites on the surface of these cheeses adds to the flavor.[3] It also gives them a distinctive appearance. A 2010 SEM study found that Milbenkäse cheese was produced using Tyrolichus casei mites, while Mimolette cheese used Acarus siro mites (also known as flour mites).[4]
References
change- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Andrew Solway 2004. What's Living in Your Kitchen? (Chicago, IL: Heinemann Library, p. 8
- ↑ Michael H. Tunick 2014. The Science of Cheese New York: Oxford University Press, p. 228
- ↑ Thalassa Skinner; Ming Tsai; Laurel Miller 2012. Cheese for dummies. Hoboken: Wiley, p. 154.
- ↑ Melnyk J.P.; et al. (2010). "Identification of cheese mite species inoculated on Mimolette and Milbenkase cheese through cryogenic scanning electron microscopy". Journal of Dairy Science. 93 (8): 3461–3468. doi:10.3168/jds.2009-2937. PMID 20655414. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
