Scanning Electron Microscopy of Blue Cheese: Mold Growth during Maturation

Commercial Blue cheese loaves were prepared for scanning electron microscopy at 5, 13, 21, 55, and 65 days of maturation. The internal structure at 5 days appeared to be markedly porous and to contain many crevices. Some conidia were ungerminated at this stage. At 13 days most of the conidia had germinated, and the mycelia followed existing openings in the curd structure. Dense masses of mycelia supporting enumerable spores characterized 21-day-old cheese. These mycelial masses appeared to have undergone extensive degeneration during additional ripening for 34 and 44 days. Some of the morphological and structural developments appeared to coincide roughly with the appearance of certain measures of quality that are related to the timing of various manufacturing events.