''Tyrophagus casei'', the
cheese mite
Cheese mites (for instance '' Tyrophagus casei'' or other species) are mites that are used to produce such cheeses as ', Cantal and Mimolette. The action of the living mites on the surface of these cheeses contributes to the flavor and gives them ...
, is a species of
mite
Mites are small arachnids (eight-legged arthropods). Mites span two large orders of arachnids, the Acariformes and the Parasitiformes, which were historically grouped together in the subclass Acari, but genetic analysis does not show clear evid ...
which is inoculated into ' and ''Altenburger Ziegenkäse'' cheese during their production. It is long, and feeds on cheese, corn, flour, old honeycombs, bird collections, and
smoked meat
Smoked meat is the result of a method of preparing red meat, white meat, and seafood which originated in the Paleolithic Era. Smoking adds flavor, improves the appearance of meat through the Maillard reaction, and when combined with curing it ...
s.
The surface of cheese which has been colonised by mites may be covered with a fine, grey powder or bloom, due to the mites themselves and their moulted skin and faeces. These impart a distinctive "piquant" taste to various cheeses.
See also
*
Cheese mite
Cheese mites (for instance '' Tyrophagus casei'' or other species) are mites that are used to produce such cheeses as ', Cantal and Mimolette. The action of the living mites on the surface of these cheeses contributes to the flavor and gives them ...
*
Cheese fly
The cheese fly (''Piophila casei'') is a species of fly whose larvae are known for infesting human foodstuffs including cured meats, smoked or salted fish, cheeses and also carrion. The larvae of this fly are known as cheese skippers, bacon sk ...
or cheese skipper, ''Piophila casei''
References
External links
* Includes ''
The Cheese Mites
''The Cheese Mites'' ( 1903) is a British short silent documentary film, produced by Charles Urban and directed by F. Martin Duncan.
Plot
A gentleman is put off his lunch when he holds up a magnifying glass and sees a microscopic view of the ...
'' (1903), the first science documentary meant for the public.
*
''A Parable'' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, at
Wikisource
Wikisource is an online digital library of free-content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole and the name for each instance of that project (each instance usually rep ...
*
''The Dying Whip'' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, at
Wikisource
Wikisource is an online digital library of free-content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole and the name for each instance of that project (each instance usually rep ...
''From a College Window'' by Arthur Christopher Benson at
Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg (PG) is a Virtual volunteering, volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks."
It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the ...
Acaridae
Animals described in 1910
Taxa named by Anthonie Cornelis Oudemans
{{Acari-stub