Unveiling The Mystery: Visualizing White Cheese Ink

The white stuff on cheddar and other types of cheese is calcium lactate, which is the result of lactic acid interacting with calcium. It can be tough to distinguish from faint white mold, but food scientist Nicole Martin advises that inspecting patches of white stuff for anything resembling threads or fuzz can help.

Powdery white crystals on surface

Powdery white crystals on the surface of cheddar cheese are typically calcium lactate, which is the result of lactic acid interacting with calcium. When cheese has more water content, the lactate isn’t visible. As cheese ages, some of the moisture moves to the surface, and the lactate moves with it.

The slightly thready look of the powdery-looking stuff on this cheese suggests that it’s mold. Don’t mind the black bits — those are truffles deliberately added to the cheese. If you’re still not sure, Nicole suggests assessing the texture. With calcium lactate you should be able to take a knife or something and scrape some off,” she said. “It would be hard, sort of crystalline or feel like a salt. With the fungi, it will just sort of disintegrate. Those filaments don’t hold up to any kind of scraping. It’s like cotton candy. If it’s mold growth and you scrape it, it’s going to kind of collapse on itself.

The smeary white coating that calcium lactate leaves on cheese can be tough to distinguish from a faint white mold. Like this one: This truffle cheddar cheese is supposed to have black specks (that’s the truffles!). The whitish patches, on the other hand, are an uninvited fungus. They may look faint, but on close inspection, it’s clear they are mold.

Italian, Swiss, and Dutch cheeses may have visible Lactobacillus helveticus, which is added to helped create amino acids for flavor. The bacteria spurs the development of tyrosine, which also appears as white crystals as cheese loses moisture.

Calcium lactate hard like salt

Calcium lactate is a completely harmless white substance that can appear on the surface of hard cheeses like cheddar. It is the result of lactic acid interacting with calcium and can appear as powdery, crystal-like particles on the surface of the cheese.

When cheese has more water content, the lactate isn't visible. As cheese ages, some of the moisture moves to the surface, and the lactate moves with it.

Calcium lactate might look like powdery smudges on the surface of the cheese. It can be tough to distinguish from faint white mold, so it's important to inspect patches of white stuff for anything resembling threads or fuzz.

If you're still not sure, you can assess the texture. With calcium lactate, you should be able to take a knife or something and scrape some off. It would be hard, sort of crystalline or feel like a salt. With the fungi, it will just sort of disintegrate. Those filaments don’t hold up to any kind of scraping. It’s like cotton candy. If it’s mold growth and you scrape it, it’s going to kind of collapse on itself.

Calcium lactate is completely harmless and is often added to cheese to help create amino acids for flavor.

Lactobacillus helveticus white crystals

Lactobacillus helveticus is a bacteria that is added to cheese to help create amino acids for flavor. It spurs the development of tyrosine, which appears as white crystals as cheese loses moisture.

When cheese has more water content, the lactate isn't visible. As cheese ages, some of the moisture moves to the surface, and the lactate moves with it. When that water ebbs, the lactate remains behind and can appear as powdery, crystal-like particles on the surface of the cheese.

The slightly thready look of the powdery-looking stuff on this cheese suggests that it’s mold. Calcium lactate might look like powdery smudges on the surface of the cheese. It can be tough to distinguish from a faint white mold.

To tell the difference between unwanted cheese mold and calcium lactate, inspect patches of white stuff for anything resembling threads or fuzz. If you scrape some off, calcium lactate should be hard, sort of crystalline or feel like a salt. Mold will disintegrate.

Italian, Swiss, and Dutch cheeses may have visible Lactobacillus helveticus, which is added to help create amino acids for flavor.

Faint white fungus threads

The slightly thready look of the powdery-looking stuff on this cheese suggests that it’s faint white mold. Calcium lactate might look like powdery smudges on the surface of the cheese.

When cheese has more water content, the lactate isn’t visible. As cheese ages, some of the moisture moves to the surface, and the lactate moves with it.

The white stuff seen on cheddar is typically calcium lactate, which is the result of lactic acid interacting with calcium. When cheese has more water content, the lactate isn’t visible. As cheese ages, some of the moisture moves to the surface, and the lactate moves with it.

The whitish patches, on the other hand, are an uninvited fungus. They may look faint, but on close inspection, it’s clear they are mold.

If it’s mold growth and you scrape it, it’s going to kind of collapse on itself. Those filaments don’t hold up to any kind of scraping. It’s like cotton candy.

Water loss white powdery lactate

Calcium lactate is a harmless white powdery substance that can appear on the surface of cheddar and other types of cheese. It is the result of lactic acid interacting with calcium and appears when the cheese has less water content.

When cheese has more water content, the lactate isn't visible. As cheese ages, some of the moisture moves to the surface, and the lactate moves with it. This can cause the lactate to appear as powdery, crystal-like particles on the surface of the cheese.

The slightly thready look of the powdery-looking stuff on this cheese suggests that it’s mold. Don’t mind the black bits — those are truffles deliberately added to the cheese. If you’re still not sure, Nicole suggests assessing the texture. With calcium lactate you should be able to take a knife or something and scrape some off,” she said. “It would be hard, sort of crystalline or feel like a salt. With the fungi, it will just sort of disintegrate. Those filaments don’t hold up to any kind of scraping. It’s like cotton candy. If it’s mold growth and you scrape it, it’s going to kind of collapse on itself.

The smeary white coating that calcium lactate leaves on cheese can be tough to distinguish from a faint white mold. First, she advised, inspect patches of white stuff for anything resembling threads or fuzz.

Italian, Swiss, and Dutch cheeses may have visible Lactobacillus helveticus, which is added to help create amino acids for flavor. The bacteria spurs the development of tyrosine, which also appears as white crystals as cheese loses moisture.

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