The Microbial and Chemical Profiles of Jasper Hill’s Harbison: A Scientific and Anthropological Investigation
Wagner, Shayna R.
2023
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This work dives into artisan cheese and more specifically, Harbison, a surface-ripened bloomy rind cheese from Jasper Hill in Vermont. Harbison has a particularly robust composition of aromas and an appreciation for the unique cheese requires an acquired and often refined taste. This paper covers the microbiology, chemistry, and sensory properties of Harbison and analyzes how these many traits come ... read moretogether in the finished product. The rind and paste of Harbison are populated by a wide variety of bacteria and fungi that have been added via cultures by the cheesemakers and that have developed naturally from the surrounding environment. These bacteria and fungi act as the functional microorganisms that contribute to the cheese’s complex profile of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and thus the cheese’s flavor and aroma. Harbison rind samples across one year of production were plated to measure colony-forming units (CFUs) of each microbe, and DNA was extracted and processed via metagenomic analyses to further assess the samples’ microbial compositions. This data was then compared to the cheesemakers’ tasting notes to better understand the cheese through both its objective data-driven and subjective sensorial features.
Thesis (B.A.)--Tufts University, 2023.
Submitted to the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.
Advisors: Benjamin Wolfe, Alexander Blanchette, Silvia Bottinelli.read less - ID:
- 0c484034s
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