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What species of fungus is used to produce Edam cheese?
The block of Edam in the fridge went off -- badly -- and out of curiosity, I took one of the resultant blue spots and put it under the microscope. The phialide-perched chains of conidia are unmistakably Penicillium, but I have no idea what species it is. Can someone please tell me what fungus I could expect to find in cheap, commercial Edam cheese in the first place? That'll be a useful clue.
I'd greatly appreciate a reference as well. Cheese fungi are interesting -- I'd like to follow this up!
1 Answer
- ?Lv 71 decade agoFavourite answer
Most interesting. I think your fungus is a contaminant, not one used intentionally in the cheese, as I don't believe Edam is a mold-ripened cheese at all. Penicillium italicum, P. digitatum, P. expansum, all of which are known to like cooler temperatures; P. roqueforti? These are quite ubiquitous. P. camambertii?
Source(s): http://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Penecilliu... http://www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/wong/BOT135/L...