Researchers from the Swiss agricultural research centre Agroscope have isolated unique lactic acid bacteria that can serve as a “barcode” to help distinguish original Appenzeller cheese from counterfeits.
It took scientists five years to identify the unique bacteria – once found naturally in milk from the Appenzeller region – and develop them into one-of-a-kind markers for Appenzeller cheese. The special bacteria are multiplied in bioreactors and added before the cheese making process begins, giving each morsel of cheese its very own “barcode”.
“Identifying the unique bacteria was the most difficult part but testing their efficacy also took a long time because it takes four months for the cheese to mature,” project leader Petra Lüdin, told swissinfo.ch. “Besides the unique signature, the bacteria must not affect the cheese taste or texture.”
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