London - Countless children may have been told the holes in Swiss cheese are caused by nibbling mice.
But scientists have finally cracked the real reason behind the product’s characteristic texture.
Experts say the phenomenon is caused by tiny bits of hay present in the milk – and not bacteria as previously thought.
The discovery has helped clear up the mystery of the cheese’s disappearing holes, which have been slowly vanishing over the last 15 years.
Cleaner dairies mean there are fewer specks of hay in the milk, leading to disappointing results for manufacturers and fans of cheese like Emmentaler or Appenzeller.
“It’s the disappearance of the traditional bucket used during milking that caused the difference,” said Regis Nyffeler, of Swiss agricultural institute Agroscope.
The microscopically small hay particles helped create the holes as the cheese matured. But the hay vanished as dairies became larger and switched from traditional milking-methods to more modern techniques – taking the holes with it.
The subject has been under study since at least 1917 when American William Clark came to the wrong conclusion that the holes were caused by carbon dioxide released by bacteria in the milk.
Daily Mail