IntoTheCurdverse

A podcast for the curd-curious. (Almost) everything you ever wondered about cheese but were afraid to ask.

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

New ep! In which Murray's head affineur Josh Windsor and I peer into a crystal ball to discern the outlines of a possibly funkier future for our favorite white-mold cheeses. https://t.co/mcNT7Yhshb

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

Home cheesemaking groups: same

Denial isn’t going to keep you safe

[Charis Hill | they/them | 🇵🇸 😷 @BeingCharisBlog]

I'm in many chicken keeping groups on Facebook, & based on even .005% of the denial commentary in them I guarantee you H5N1 is going to be far worse than any of us can imagine.

And then worse than that.

And as a disabled person, I guarantee you it'll be worse than even that.

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

Largest dairy state…

[FluTrackers.com @FluTrackers]

US - California: Dairy company representative "Anja says the flu has killed 10 to 15 percent of the state's 1.7 million cows." That is possibly 255k cows. https://t.co/yJ12pIlcBM h/t Pathfinder, Commonground #H5N1

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

More details in this thread

[Lazarus Long @LazarusLong13]

Before, reported production loss was 5-10%.

"Cows are also not returning to 100% production after they’ve cleared the virus, said Beal. Instead, he and others say it’s closer to 60%-70%."

That needs further study. Is that every symptomatic animal?

Because that could

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

Getting bad

[Susanne Rust @susrust]

#H5N1 in CA cows is a scarier, more severe disease than has thus far been reported. “I was shocked the first time I encountered it in one of my herds... It’s more serious than we had been led to believe.”
https://t.co/Boo2TjO0ni

[Ian James @ByIanJames]

Concern grows as bird flu outbreaks continue to rise among California dairy herds

“Farmers are genuinely worried about the virus and do not feel it’s under control.” ⁦@susrust⁩ https://t.co/bxgNCMmKqW

[Los Angeles Times @latimes]

Number of California dairy herds infected with H5N1 bird flu rises to 17 https://t.co/9HMxl7oWok

[Civil Eats @CivilEats]

The EPA’s annual emissions inventory report showed that emissions from the agricultural sector dropped by nearly 2% between 2021 and 2022—the sharpest drop of all sectors within the recorded time. https://t.co/XF4vE8Gb0A

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

Good roundup of the current state of avian flu news across N America, not just California. Virus is detectable in raw milk ~2 wks prior to symptoms in animals.
https://t.co/UT3bZNQi3d

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

I bought Kid1 a cheesemaking class for his 11th birthday. That’s my origin story. I stuck with it, he enjoys the results.

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

More research to be done to confirm

[Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape]

"Further studies are planned with raw milk cheeses to evaluate if current aging requirements are sufficient to inactivate HPAI virus."

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

Not surprising, but nice confirmation re pasteurization effectiveness against avian flu.

[Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape]

On press call just now, FDA shared results from 2nd study testing retail samples of milk and dairy products for H5N1: About 17% of samples "had genetic materials from H5N1 detected by PCR”, but “no viable virus was detected in any."
Also a preprint here: https://t.co/5i1VJit7te

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

Collection practices (esp equipment sanitation) appear to be critically important

[Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape]

3. Lactating cows on the other hand got really sick after intramammary inoculation with both the European and the US strain of the virus. "intramammary infection of dairy cattle with both clade 2.3.4.4b isolates resulted in severe clinical disease in both cow groups requiring early euthanasia in some cases. Severe disease in lactating cows was accompanied by a drastic reduction in milk production and obvious changes in milk quality."

[Bryce Hanna @photobiogenesis]

Why do I promote goat/sheep milk over cow milk?

- Higher in potassium, calcium, and other minerals
- Higher protein content (extra 1g/cup)
- Contains A2 casein which tends to digest better in those sensitive to dairy
- More short chain fats like butyrate
- More medium-chain fats which are neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory
- More odd-chain fats like C15, which are associated with longevity and lower risk of heart disease and diabetes

Goat/sheep milk also has a richer taste reminiscent of fresh raw milk

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

Good thread

[Kai Kupferschmidt @kakape]

In May I wrote about researchers' plans to infect cows in high-security labs with avian influenza #H5N1 to better understand the infections and how easily the virus is transmitted. The results from two of these experiments are now out here in a preprint:
https://t.co/xo7pMEncvI

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

I would definitely buy a calendar of Mr Cheese of the Months

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

💯

[Cooper @Cooperstreaming]

Every time someone rails against pasteurization I just ask them what pasteurization is.

Bro they literally never know.

[The Delicious Legacy Podcast @DeliciousLegacy]

My colleagues keep discussing cheeses and holidays, and just remembered i have a whole episode about feta cheese!

https://t.co/wYkwLSodb4

[IntoTheCurdverse @curdverse]

212F is pretty excessive and will make your milk taste burnt. Taking it 161F for 15 seconds is the standard pasteurization method, and does a much better job of preserving protein structures.

[keewa 🇵🇸 @keewa]

my favourite raw milk weirdos are the ones that insist it's totally fine as long as you boil it briefly before you drink it