Scientists Make Toe, Armpit and Belly Button Cheese from Humans
Even though I'm a 'Cheesehead' from Wisconsin, there are many cheeses I will not eat. Add these more to the list.
A science gallery exhibit in Dublin called, Selfmade, features microbial sketches of cheeses made from bacteria samples of various people. Samples from their feet, their belly buttons and their armpits (famunda was not used). The stank from each of these cheeses supposedly also smells like the body odor of the donor.
Since I'm not a scientist and I've just recently thrown up in my mouth, here's how these cheeses were made:
The team took different microbial strains from the subjects. Next, they identified microbes that made up that person’s specific scent using a method known as headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, which can find volatile organic compounds in a sample.
Then, the cheese making process began. Milk was added to the microbe sample, and spoiled with a bacteria called Lactobacillus. When the sample curdled, the team separated the clumps and aged them with yeast to make different varieties of cheese.
I used to make jokes about some of the cheeses my wife would bring home... "damn baby, that cheese smells like a foot!" Now I know why... BECAUSE IT'S MADE FROM A FOOT... and a nasty one at that.
Microbiologist Christina Agapakis, who worked on the project, said:
People were really nervous and uncomfortable, and kind of making these grossed out faces...
Not surprised. And the creators also said that you can't eat this cheese...No Worries here! They said, "this isn't cheese for eating... it's cheese for thinking." WHAAAT?
For more on how the cheese was made, watch the Selfmade video below.
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