These Mites Give Cheese Its Flavor

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In May 2013, a shipment of around 1.5 tons of seemingly normal cheese was refused entry into the United States. And while looks wise there was nothing suspicious, according to the Food and Drug Administration, this shipment of cheese had a problem: mites.
Special thanks to Chloé Savard for allowing us to use her footage:
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SOURCES:
www.dairyreporter.com/Article...
savoryandsour.com/2017/12/06/...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27059...
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
link.springer.com/article/10....
www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31960...
www.wisconsincheese.com/the-c...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11271...
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15924...
journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
www.sciencedirect.com/science...
www.janetfletcher.com/blog/20...
This video has been dubbed using an artificial voice via aloud.area120.google.com to increase accessibility. You can change the audio track language in the Settings menu.

[@journeytomicro]

Head to manukora.com/microcosmos to get 3 FREE Gifts with your Starter Kit - a $25 value! Thanks to Manukora for sponsoring today's video!

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

What? $25 off? I wouldn't spend $25 on honey let alone an amount so high that the company can offer $25 off of the price.🤦‍♂️ I'm sure it's tasty honey but unless it's curing an illness or de-aging me that much is too much for honey.

[@seanrowshandel1680]

Great job. We've all been together since the beginning with the Magic School Bus, and will remain together for another period of time after cancer takes you.

[@greedthenyavaricious]

I always thought mites were so darling. Yes, they can cause problems, but I'm still fond of them. I love the long pseudo-antennae of clover mites, the soft little red velvet mites, and these little cheeseheads. Our relationship with microorganisms and creepy crawlies is so much more interconnected than a lot of people think!

[@rambysophistry1220]

I will say; my stomach does not discriminate. It matters not to my acid where on the microcosm the ingredients fall; there is room for all sized cheese artists.

[@glassesfreak3829]

This guy eats the mites AND the guys who put them there

[@samandom8772]

"This is Paul. He makes a good cheese." "Oh boy. I can't wait to eat him!" "You mean his cheese, right?" ... ...Right??

[@TheNightshadePrince]

Vore!!!!

[@whiteobama3032]

Honestly those mites look kinda tasty

[@Psilomuscimol]

​@@TheNightshadePrince. Vore is impossible.

[@SpeakShibboleth]

If eating these microscopic animals gives you pause, i have bad news about the other food you eat.

[@napoleonfeanor]

You can see them if you look closely

[@JGB_Wentworth]

Apples and oranges

[@SpeakShibboleth]

@@JGB_Wentworth oh, yeah. There's tons of them on apples and oranges.

[@gooley9849]

The farts of the micro biome are art to us. Be it alcohol or cheese we love it.

[@tacticalpoet]

From wikipedia: In 2013, the Food and Drug Administration detained about a ton of the cheese, putting further imports to the United States on hold. This was because the cheese mites could cause an allergic reaction if consumed in large quantities. The FDA stated that the cheese was above the standard of six mites per cubic inch. The restriction was lifted in 2014.

[@3517p]

Omg, I love cheese but not so much anymore. 😂

[@objective_psychology]

Literally every food can cause an allergy in some people, so this is a pretty absurd place to draw the line. Makes sense that lawmakers realized how ridiculous it was within the year

[@tacticalpoet]

@@objective_psychologydefinitely. Would be interesting to know the allergy rates with "mite concentration" , but does feel like excessive risk mitigation

[@objective_psychology]

@@tacticalpoet Maybe (just speculating) one of the presumptions was that the mites could escape from the cheese and spread somehow into other foods. But that would be mistaken, since the mites have been selectively cultivated over hundreds of generations (similarly to other domesticated animals) to prefer the cheese over other food sources, and even if they did have a tendency to escape, this should be easily solved by regulating the packaging

[@jaredknapp8886]

Put the mite in cheese mite.

[@laurachapple6795]

I knew micro-organisms were important in cheese but I had no idea just what a variety there were. These are almost macro-organisms!

[@emmanuelweinman9673]

We are all micro-organisms within a larger organism and macro-organisms with smaller organisms within us. All of existence is reaching out and looping back on itself.

[@akoksh]

There is a huge topological difference between the two concepts)) 1) “get inside the body” 2) “get inside the digestive system”

[@luipaardprint]

It surprised me very much the first time I learned that doctors consider the inside of your stomach the outside of your body.

[@TreCayUltimateLife]

Okay there Dr Drew

[@something_strange3086]

What? ​@@luipaardprint

[@HayTatsuko]

Can't stress this enough. All mammals are elongated donuts, with other invaginations (respiratory system and urogenital system, mainly.) The digestive tract is the hollow tube that runs through us all, from mouth to anus. Something that is in your alimentary canal is not actually _inside your body_ -- it is just in a space surrounded by your body. If an organism were to pass beyond the walls of the alimentary canal, _then_ it would be inside your actual flesh.

[@peppermintgal4302]

Well, to be fair, once they're inside the digestive system, a lot of what makes them up gets inside of you through digestion.

[@ProjectPhysX]

There is this "Molkerei Pfund" cheese store in the city of Dresden. They offer the largest variety and highhest quality of cheese, including the famous Milbenkäse. My grandparents visited there with my brother and me. At the time I was not ready for Milbenkäse, seeing the tiny mites crawl around under a plastic dome to not spread to other varieties of cheese. I was too busy tasting the Roquefort and Gorgonzola and Camembert and Gouda and Tête de Moine and so many other varieties. It's a paradise for cheess lovers.

[@CarlosGutierrez-ef2pd]

Gluttony is a sin my brother in christ

[@MrMuruks]

​@@CarlosGutierrez-ef2pd thats not gluttony

[@GoldenBoy-et6of]

​@CarlosGutierrez-ef2pd trying cheeses isn't gluttony , democrats stealing trillions from tax payers is gluttony, gluttony requires for there to be a victim, otherwise it's consensual exchange of goods that makes life easier for everyone. Also eating to much is also referred to as gluttony so most Americans are committing gluttony by being obese.

[@GoldenBoy-et6of]

​@@CarlosGutierrez-ef2pdalso putting the pursuit of money before the pursuit of meaningful relationships is gluttony and spending time eating cheese with your family is part of the pursuit of meaningful experiences and relationships , experiencing the gifts of life , trying everything once isn't gluttony either , now if you wanted the entire world's supply of something for your self because it tasted so good , that'd be horrendous gluttony ofcourse

[@theeyeofomnipotent]

​@@GoldenBoy-et6of true, in addition to that, moralizing non moral action may cause more suffering, which is an evil by itself, It's why we shouldn't trivialize morals, as if we do, the difference of good, evil, and the nuances becomes meaningless

[@KingsleyIII]

"There's nothing super startling about that description, nothing to suggest at least, that this is a suspicious cheese." I dunno, man. I think cheese that looks like cantaloupe and tastes like lemons would be pretty suspicious if you ask me.

[@Nikoladragon]

WHAT. My last name is Neral... I never thought anything else shared the name. It actually has a meaning?? AND IT'S FOUND IN CHEESE MITE SECRETION?!?!? This is LIFE CHANGING. I had to do a triple take.

[@johnsteiner3417]

"The bad news is you've been eating a lot of mites." 😆😆😆

[@SteveHazel]

you should do an episode on mites on eeeverything. if there are mites on our eyelash pores, there have gotta be mites on strawberries, blackberries, every berry, every vegetable - every plant ever, not to mention any animal skin and especially hamburger... i'd be interested in knowin'...

[@leaedt7614]

So it's impossible to be completely vegan!

[@CAMSLAYER13]

Both us and our homes are covered in mites

[@chitinskin9860]

They actually are on pretty much every plant, especially fruits. Pick a wild berry off of its plant and if it isn't tainted by pesticide or other pollutants, then there's a good chance you will see a mite. Some are pests who devour the plant into oblivion if left unchecked (usually a sign that their predators died out for whatever reason), some harmlessly graze and wander across the plant aimlessly, some even eat other mites feeding on the plant (functioning as some of the helpful predators that keep others in check). Plant mites are generally as edible as the plants they feed on, and usually taste sweeter due to concentrating the sugars in their bodies, though most people can't tell when they are consuming them, especially in more processed products. A full video could cover all of this better.

[@zelenpixel]

cheese with mites sounded really strange to me until its been pointed out that blue cheese is not much different and im like. Im perfeclty aware that is literally just Moldy Cheese Thats Safe To Eat Somehow and i do enjoy it i like its taste

[@CAMSLAYER13]

Making cheese is a controlled decomposition. Like dry aging meats

[@lemonyskunkketts7781]

I'm very pleased how much this channel has grown. This is education that should be in every biology class in the world. This is what TLC and PBS should have been like. Dont change guys.

[@dragonpaws]

If you think this is what PBS should have been I have great news for you about who pays for this show (besides viewers like you, thank you....)

[@CarlosGutierrez-ef2pd]

PBS exists to make money for its board of directors

[@MilanKelesi]

PBS Spacetime, PBS Eons and more exist..

[@Nyan_Kitty]

It's genuinely astonishing how Hank nails the pronounciation of "Milbenkäse" every single time

[@Kimmaline]

When you say, "secretions"......

[@flutterbree]

Now I'm curious about the amount of "extra" biomass we eat that is JUST from fermented/aged foods.. is that even something you can calculate or estimate?

[@quezdonivey5518]

That would be interesting to know

[@illiteratemochi4150]

I actually can’t eat blue cheese because I’m allergic to penicillin. Although, I never really realized that connection until I was an adult lol

[@elizabethgood5727]

My mother didn’t either until I spelled it out for her and she says “oh is that why it always makes me sick when I eat it?” Yes blondie it is 😂❤

[@jakobraahauge7299]

They're really cute - almost give tardigrades a run for their crown as cutest in the Microcosmos 🧸 A very merry Xmas all over the way from Denmark 🤗

[@FuzzyBunnyofInle]

When part of my brain suggests that maybe it's OK to try, another part whispers "Scabies Cheese"

[@aprilmeowmeow]

ugh, why did you have to do me like that

[@diebesgrab]

I had mimolette for the first time in Quebec. One of the best cheeses I’ve ever had. Mimolettes I’ve had in the US just don’t compare.

[@mike-6139]

Apparently all of that cheese on the US is imported from other parts, -I see very hard to manufacture on mass something so exotic and that used to be illegal until recently - so that means that either there aren't great variety of imported cheese or that Canadian cheese is likely superior to European cheese.

[@diebesgrab]

@@mike-6139 I think if there’s a functional difference, it’s more likely that Canada has less strict importation guidelines regarding cheese mites than the US. The one in Quebec was a long time ago so I’m not sure, but I would guess that the mimolettes I’ve had from the US and from Canada were all European imports.

[@mike-6139]

@@diebesgrab Maybe has to do with the way cheese market is adapting to lifting of banning, not sure if more mites necessarily means better flavor if given the right time.

[@JGB_Wentworth]

That’s absolutely disgusting

[@haileybalmer9722]

As someone who worked with cheese, let me assure you that the difference was entirely in your head.

[@NewMessage]

It ain't easy being a mite. But sometimes... just sometimes... it is cheesy.

[@tesseract_1982]

Mite be true ... or not! 🧀🕷🧀

[@Psilomuscimol]

It ain't easy bein cheesy.

[@D0TperiodD0T]

I have never had this cheese but that flavor description and the fact that it has mites in it makes me crave it intensely. I fucking love cheese so much.

[@00Skyfox]

Seems like “peau de crapaud” would be applied to cheeses with residual mite digestive secretions in it.

[@detritic]

Can't stop saying "peau de crapaud" and chuckling

[@serioserkanalname499]

I mean it literally translates to "mite cheese" so... not like anyone in germany doesnt know what they're getting into lol.

[@TheBullethead]

As a Cajun who routinely celebrates most important occasions by eating massive quantities of macroscopic arthropods (crabs, shimp, crawfish, etc.), I have no trouble whatsoever gulping down whole mouthfuls of mites, provided they taste good as-is, or can be made to taste good with sufficient application of Tabasco :)

[@rdbury507]

Mites are just extremely small lobsters :)

[@BlackWolf42-]

I always looked at as Lobsters and Crabs are just really really big spiders. Lobsters were considered a by-catch, something they DIDN'T want and somebody accidently called them 'sea roaches'.

[@angelwild5665]

I so laughed heartily at reading your comment. Thank you!

[@okankyoto]

@@BlackWolf42- I bet it'd seem more appealing if they had the big chunks of muscle that people eat out of crabs and lobsters, since only some like the actual innards.

[@MegaRudeBoy69]

Milben means mite, so any German who is surprised by the cheese's content should be flogged. I'm always amused the way people retch about what some people would eat, while spreading some Manuka bee vomit on bread.

[@Mescalineinthesun]

i love microbe yayyyyyyy

[@r4fa3l59]

Fascinating as always,!

[@dreyhawk]

Hmmm...milbenkase is definitely off my list to ever try, but not because of the mites. I may be being over cautious (actually,no such thing to a Celiac) but it's the presence of rye. Anything that touches rye is a big No.

[@revoblam7975]

Honestly that's a good call, my family is full of celiac and caution is our biggest deterrent

[@lumipakkanen3510]

Yay! More insight into everyday uses of the Microcosmos.

[@michael_k7356]

I'm from Germany, I've heard about cheese mites, I love cheese, but I've not heard about Milbenkäse. I have to find me some.

[@bigj3086]

Im not a huge cheese lover, but i recently bought some 20-year-old chedder that was full of crystals, almost like pop rocks. It was amazing!

[@Psilomuscimol]

I don't like Cheddar. But I like aged gouda with crystals. Very good.

[@Psilomuscimol]

1000 day gouda is what I get.

[@jeremybyington]

There were warnings that the cheese was made from unpasteurized dairy. It disappeared from the stores for a few months and came back as being made with pasteurized dairy. SoI don’t think mites were the only reason. Unfortunately, the cheese is a pale comparison to what it was but it is still very good grated onto pizza and salads.

[@Swenthorian]

I don't mind the idea of the mites, but I *do* mind the idea of them being *alive*.

[@calumreid8939]

🎶 "The cheese tax! The cheese tax!"

[@dickbutt7310]

"See how gross this cheese is?" "Sponsored by honey"

[@crystalcoolidge6297]

I do love mimolette. It's worth eating a few mites that I don't even see. Roquefort is one of my favorites, though, highly acidic and noticeably salty. My local cheesemongers have both almost all the time.

[@susannahallanic1167]

Thank you. I am lactose intolerant. Yeah, really. I use commercial yogurt as a laxative. In 1970 I was diagnosed as having IBS or maybe even Crohns. So imagine my surprise that I could enjoy certain cheeses with out several aches and gas and toilet paper for the next week after eating a small portion of cheese. How so? you may ask. I joined a French family who had a cheese board every single evening as an after-main course corner filler. AND...GUESS...WHAT!! I discovered I could eat sheep and goat cheeses, aged or not. Unfortunately, not so much any thing as small as a 0.5 cm square any bovine mild product that had not spent a least a couple hours in a slow oven. Think enchiladas! Is it no wonder then, that I never developed a relationship with cheese? That was in my early 50's, When I called my mother and told her I had eaten Rocquefort having not yet died, she responded with: Oh! Did I not tell you that you were allergic to my breast milk? That is why you cost me so much money! You had to have nothing but goat's milk and goat cheese and goat, Goat, GOAT all the time. It must have been the Polishness of your father. It was certainly not Texan. ... what I think? Yeah, everyone is different not only because of their environment but also because DNA is really just a Black Jack gamble.

[@jowi_24seven43]

Goat cheese is delicious. I hope journey to micro cosmos does not release a video ruining it for me

[@stevenkarnisky411]

This is the cheesiest episode yet of "Journey to the Microcosmos". I will eat any kind of cheese. Don't care what is in it! Sampled many new varieties on a walking/eating tour of Paris recently. Interesting to learn more about what produces the flavors.

[@Malkovith2]

damn, I love Mimolette, I didn't know.

[@kayleighgroenendal8473]

I wonder if Hank took voice classes or if he was born which such cinematic vocal inflection

[@AMachine2020]

In France there are many cheese ripened with “artison” that are exactly this: cheese mites.

[@alanhyt79]

The lemony taste makes sense. I once ate a live ant at an "insects as food" seminar, and it tasted like lemon. It was actually good. Mites and ants have similar flavors, apparently.

[@Psilomuscimol]

Not all ants taste like lemon. The ones I ate didn't. They tasted spicyish

[@Psilomuscimol]

They were also live

[@JoshuaFinancialPL]

beautifully written

[@rickyspanish6261]

Keep up the great work lil fellas!!!!!!

[@georgantonischki1188]

i will drive by the cheese maker and buy some of his cheeses, stored the place in my want to go list... I once tried a sicilian cheese with maggots. Another very weird cheese produced with help of little animals. The cheese I tried wasn't living anymore as this is difficult to get outside the mediterranean islands. The say you have to cover your nose to avoid maggots jumping in there. I'd like to go one day..,

[@AlexxForest]

This doesn't actually gross me out much, because I've been eating cheese since I was born. I love cheese too much.

[@user-lq4ct6dr5m]

I mean, though there's quite a difference to it, but we put fungus into doughs to make bread, and we cook them before eating

[@timkbirchico8542]

Thanks for a good vid Hank

[@sammicoporsammicopor]

If the mites make the cheese taste so good, then im happy there are cheese altering mites

[@coffeepot3123]

"Of course, sir. It's a cheese shop, sir. We've got- " C: No no... don't tell me. I'm keen to guess. O: Fair enough. C: Uuuuuh, Wensleydale. O: Yes? C: Ah, well, I'll have some of that! O: "Oh! I thought you were talking to me, sir. Mister Wensleydale, that's my name". - The Cheese Shop sketch, Monty Python.

[@XXx-dk9qt]

As a Cheesemonger who’s wanted to see these guys up close for years this is awesome, i love scaring customers with this knowledge after giving them a sample 😂

[@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupid]

Haha, nice. You're funny at the expense of others. We should hang out. 🤣👍

[@wjrasmussen666]

Not very smart of you.

[@BlackWolf42-]

I'd so love to try every cheese in your inventory!

[@XXx-dk9qt]

@@wjrasmussen666 how so? Regail me with your knowledge, oh mighty cheese sales expert

[@XXx-dk9qt]

@@ThisHandleFeatureIsStupidi can’t tell if you’re being serious or not😂

[@knowjusticeknowpeace15]

This was amazing as all your videos are. The universe is so interesting. Thank you.

[@DaBrainFarts]

Is it weird that I want to eat this cheese because of this video? Mite cheese? Hell yeah. I love cheese lactose intolerance be damned.

[@MatthewTheWanderer]

I've never heard of either of these cheese varieties. Still, fascinating video!

[@rickyspanish492]

3:44 Is there a baby mite harpooned on a larger adult's leg?! It looks dead and like it's being dragged along like a shoe.

[@izzzzzz6]

I remember seeing a video on cheese mites when i was a kid, over 40 years ago. I've never touched cheese since.

[@luckybutunlucky8937]

I would eat that cheese, although knowing me I might be allergic to them slightly.

[@peterwong1778]

Yummy

[@iurifestuccia7423]

I really want to have a taste of Sardinian cheese _casu marzu_ but we are talking about *visible worms* and an illegal food you can only find there...

[@andrearupe8094]

Oh man ive never wanted to give in to an ad so badly but you freakin sold me on that honey!!

[@luipaardprint]

Have you ever wondered what the bees eat for the 48 weeks those manuka flowers aren’t blooming? As a former beekeeper this add is triggering my bullshit alarm.

[@Vejur9000]

We love mites! Ugh! So cute.

[@scottowens1535]

Question is what happens to the 25 different cheeses that I buy at the local when crammed together for awhile???? Are we making new cheese and should I go deep for a culture 😮

[@plenty-of-stardust]

Just listened to the cheese episode of scishow so this was a perfect add on! Those little guys are kinda scary but they are interesting lol

[@KRich408]

A lot of people eat bugs all the time and don't realize it. Because all Shellfish are bugs, shrimp, lobster, Crabs are the roaches, spiders and scorpions of the sea. 😮

[@Bournai]

Bee vomit, Yeast poop, Mite poop, Mold. I-I mean we eat a lot of weird junk, and that's cool!

[@tesseract_1982]

I guess pine honey is double weird, then, originating from honey dew secreted by aphids, drank and regurgitated by bees... 🤫🙃 I still love it tho. 😛

[@howaboutataste]

"Blessed are the cheese makers".

[@haileybalmer9722]

I’m so sorry to tell you all this, but Milbenkaese or “spider cheese” as it’s sometimes known, is delicious. It’s like an extra sharp cheddar but way creamier. I couldn’t stop eating it, even after they told me what it was. I made some German friends that day lol. Mimolette tastes like medium cheddar that someone left out on the counter for four days and I’m not here to defend it.

[@OMG99Gaming-tk1wv]

Thanks 🎉 for it

[@NikeaTiber]

Soft ripened and bleu cheeses are so damn good.

[@antigonemerlin]

All of this constantly reads like something out of a science fiction novel. Reality is often stranger than our sensibilities.

[@D0J0Master]

8:10 its good new for everyone... expect the mites... oh and yea the cows!!

[@whiteobama3032]

I ate so much different funky cheese in my life, some mites doesn't sound that bad, if it makes it taste better.

[@soviet9922]

lucky never heard about this cheese variants

[@LePedant]

This video made me very thankful I'm lactose intolerant.

[@bradfjord]

We all saw enough cazu marzu on the internet that eating cheese mites seems like childs play

[@bradfjord]

Also, Poo De Crappo is an incredible phrase.

[@mattBLACKpunk]

Tbf tho Milben Käse literally translates to mite cheese

[@BlackReaper0]

Thanks Chloé!

[@pigeonlizard]

I’m not a cheese connoisseur and this video makes me absolutely not inclined to be one 😂

[@robertabray-enhus3198]

We eat so many bugs,mites and bacteria,we don’t even know it!

[@chriscubbernuss3288]

"...most cheeses are not usually filled with so many mights that the FDA decides to take action." This statement implies there is a predetermined number of mites the FDA is O.K. with. I have a bad feeling it is a non-zero number.

[@dziban303]

Look up that maggot cheese from Sardinia. No, I'm not kidding.

[@seattlegrrlie]

I love a good raw milk, mite infused or moldy cheese.

[@foreverwantingpie]

I love your scripts

[@paulanthony312]

Cheers mates

[@SPECIMEN-427]

Who else got a microscope bc of these guys

[@Zunree1869]

stopped mine collecting dust cause of em XD

[@microscopic.caterpill]

This and going back to school

[@kellyneal9323]

We know you really wanted to say, "Mite poop" ... we know.

[@narrowonflow]

thats when you know its good

[@SlurpieDoo]

as a french person, fucking worth it

[@deathsnitemaresinfullust2269]

How did somebody figure out this way to make this cheese?😨

[@jamesgene4763]

TARDIBABE OMG THATS SO CUTE

[@pixieloco]

I mean, the literal translation of Milbenkese is "mite cheese" 😆

[@HodorsLeftShoe]

Mimolette is delicious.

[@infinateU]

So honey from avocado flowers contain significant traces of IRON?!?!?

[@pattiwicksteed3731]

Manuka Honey is also famously healthy. The best honey to use in lemon-and-honey drinks when one is sniffly or even just under the weather :)

[@WhatWouldVillainsDo]

We pretty much have mites evetywhere on and in our bodies and even have patasitic and symbiotic relationships with some.

[@belstar1128]

cheese is the Frankenstein of food . who came up with this stuff its too crazy .