Friday, April 11, 2008

The miracle of feta cheese

Researchers have found bacteria in feta cheese that may hold the secret to fighting food poisoning.
Enterococci are a diverse family of bacteria. Some are notorious in hospitals as being especially virulent and resistant to antibiotics; others—like the ones in sheep's milk—are what give feta cheese its distinctive flavor. The researchers studying the milk bacteria hope to be able to produce the bacteriocins in such a way that they could become replacements for additives and synthetic preservatives in foods. Ultimately, if they could be cultivated as non-pathogenic, they would colonize in our bodies along with the other beneficial bacteria there to stand guard against foodborne pathogens. (ht: A Fine Mess)

I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. Greek Fest is July 11-13. Got to get ready for my bulk cheese purchase.