Question

Eyes is a defect in

• A. Gouda cheese
• B. Emmentaler cheese
• C. Roquefort cheese
• D. Edam cheese

Hint:

Cheese Eye Characteristics:
Desirable Eyes = Emmentaler (Swiss), Gouda, Edam.
DEFECT Eyes = ROQUEFORT (Blue cheese), Cheddar, Mozzarella.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Eye formation vs textural defects across cheese varieties: in Swiss/Emmentaler and Dutch (Gouda, Edam) cheeses, smooth round eye holes produced by propionic acid bacteria or citric acid fermenters (Leuconostoc) are characteristic and desirable; in blue-veined mold-ripened cheeses (Roquefort, Gorgonzola), gas eye formation is a major textural defect that disrupts mold vein channels and causes irregular cracking.
Key Formula or Approach:
\[ \text{Desirable Eyes: } \text{Emmentaler (Propionic Eyes)} \; \& \; \text{Gouda/Edam (Citrate Eyes)} \quad \longleftrightarrow \quad \text{Defect: } \mathbf{Roquefort \text{ Cheese (Eyes disrupt blue mold mycelia)}} \]

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
In cheese taxonomy and varietal defect evaluation:
1. Emmentaler Swiss Cheese: Large, glossy, spherical eyes ($10 - 25\text{ mm}$) produced by Propionibacterium freudenreichii fermenting lactic acid into $\text{CO}_2$ are the quintessential hallmark and desirable standard.
2. Gouda and Edam Cheese: Small, smooth, round 'pinhead' or 'pea-sized' eyes produced by Leuconostoc mesenteroides and Lactococcus lactis subsp. diacetylactis from citrate are normal and desirable.
3. Roquefort Cheese (C): In internally mold-ripened blue cheeses, the cheese must be pierced with stainless steel needles to create vertical air channels for aerobic sporulation of {Penicillium roqueforti (blue-green veins). Gas production by heterofermentative bacteria causing 'eyes' or gas pockets disrupts the delicate mold mycelium veins and causes structural cracking, constituting a major cheese defect.

Step 3: Final Answer:
Therefore, Eyes is a defect in Roquefort cheese, corresponding to option (C).