In Switzerland, cheese producers have faced an unexpected problem: the disappearance of the characteristic holes in Emmental due to excessively high production hygiene standards. According to SPIEGEL Wirtschaft, the solution was to use a special powder made from hay flowers.
Hygiene in Swiss cowsheds has improved significantly over time — but this has led to fewer and fewer natural holes forming in Emmental cheese. Now, a special powder is set to solve the problem.
After years of struggling to create holes in Emmental cheese, Swiss cheesemakers have found a solution: following a legal dispute, they were granted permission to use so-called ‘hole-forming powder’.
“I’m really glad this powder exists,” master cheesemaker Andreas Brunner told the dpa news agency. “Over the years, I’ve had fewer and fewer holes in my cheese.”
The problem is that, over time, the milk has become too clean. According to experts, in the past, when cows were milked by hand, particles of hay always remained in the milk. It was around these particles that holes formed during the cheese-making process.
With the introduction of automatic milking systems, the milk flows directly from the udder into the cooling tank — and these particles no longer end up in it.
The powder used to create holes, which is now permitted for use, consists entirely of finely ground organic hay flowers. According to Brunner, he uses just a pinch of this powder to produce over 600 kilograms of cheese.
“It’s made the holes in my cheese much better,” he notes.
The Emmentaler Switzerland Association had to go to court to obtain permission to use this powder.
“Hay flower powder is currently the only and best solution to the problem of disappearing holes,” states the ruling of the Federal Administrative Court.
The Federal Agency for Agriculture, which imposes strict requirements on agricultural produce, was initially reluctant to authorise its use, fearing the industrialisation of production.
Source: SPIEGEL Business
