Question

The large holes in the “Swiss cheese” are made by a

• A. machine
• B. bacterium that produces methane gas
• C. bacterium producing a large amount of carbon dioxide
• D. fungus that releases a lot of gases during its metabolic activities

Answer 1

The correct option is C bacterium producing a large amount of carbon dioxide

Cheese is one of the oldest milk products prepared with the help of microbes. The curd is separated from the liquid part or the whey to form cheese. There are different varieties of cheese on the basis of their characteristic texture, flavour and taste like Cottage cheese, Roquefort cheese, Swiss cheese etc.

Swiss cheese has its characteristic large holes, also called “eyes” and flavour. A bacterium called Propionibacterium shermanii forms propionic acid and carbon dioxide by metabolizing lactic acid during the fermentation. This production of high amounts of carbon dioxide in Swiss cheese creates large holes in it.