Not everyone can appreciate blue cheeses such as Roquefort and Gorgonzola. The Penicillium roqueforti mold used in this cheese grows into the green-blue strands in the otherwise white cheese. Its taste is powerful, to say the least. But do we also experience it that way if those fungal veins have a different color?
Pink blueblue cheese
Researchers from the University of Nottingham (UK) put it to the test. They discovered that the fungus has different colors during the growth process, until it eventually turns blue.
By interrupting that process at certain times, the fungal strands kept a different color: white, brown or even pink. The researchers then measured the flavor intensity of the colorful cheeses in a laboratory. It turned out not to vary very much. Yet subjects thought so.
They labeled cheeses with a lighter mold color as milder than cheeses with a darker color. And according to the test subjects, the pink variant even had a fruity aftertaste. According to the researchers, this shows that people perceive taste not only based on what they taste, but also based on what they see.
Also interesting: how old is old cheese anyway?
Tags: Scientists create pink mold cheese
