1. No sound (reference box) 2. Ambient: Yello – ‘Monolith’ 3. Classical: W.A. Mozart – ‘The Magic Flute’ 4. Techno: Vril – ‘UV’ 5. Rock: Led Zeppelin – ‘Stairway to Heaven’ 6. Medium frequency: 200 Hz 7. High frequency: 1000 Hz 8. Hip hop: A tribe called quest – ‘We Got (the Jazz)’ 9. Low frequency: 25 Hz
Eight wheels of “Muttenglück” Emmental cheese from World Cheese Championship winner Antony Wyss were subjected separately to different musical stimulus – Mozart, A Tribe Called Quest, Yello, Led Zeppelin, techno and three sinusoidal sounds – round-the-clock for eight months.
The experiment was part of a collaboration between students of the University of Arts Bern and veterinarian Beat Wampfler who came up with the idea. The project was baptised “Cheese in Surround Sound – a culinary art experiment”.
A blind tasting test eight months later found that the wheel exposed to hip-hop had the most unique taste profile.
“The bacteria did a good job,” Wampfler said on Thursday during the presentation of the results. The sensory analysis revealed that the cheese that was exposed to hip-hop was “remarkably fruity, both in smell and taste, and significantly different from the other samples”.
“We were overwhelmed,” says Professor Michael Harenberg who provided the scientific support for the experiment. “At first I thought it was a typical Swiss reaction because cheese plays such a big cultural role here in Emmental. But even journalists from South Africa approached us for interviews and information.”
More
More
Ageing cheese with music
This content was published on
A cheesemaker in Emmental has been ageing his cheese with music, a different genre for each wheel. The idea behind this crazy experiment is to find out if sound waves can influence the cheese’s taste like humidity and temperature do.
Switzerland participates in ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting
This content was published on
This engagement was part of a four-day tour of Southeast Asia, aimed at advancing the Swiss Federal Council's Southeast Asia Strategy.
Majority of shareholders approve sustainability reports of major Swiss companies
This content was published on
Shareholders have approved the sustainability reports of the largest Swiss companies by a large majority at their annual general meetings.
EU releases €1.5B frozen assets to Ukraine: Switzerland opts out
This content was published on
The EU announced the release of €1.5 billion (CHF1.44 billion) in aid to Ukraine. Switzerland will not follow the EU's approach.
Five people charged in connection with deadly Swiss rockslide
This content was published on
Five people have been charged with multiple negligent homicide in connection with the deadly Bondo rockslide that occurred seven years ago.
Mountaineer dies after 100-metre fall from Matterhorn
This content was published on
A women fell down the east face of the iconic mountain on Thursday, from an altitude of some 3,460 meters above sea level.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
A Gruyère is again crowned king of Swiss cheeses
This content was published on
An alpine Gruyère AOP (protected designation of origin) from western Swiss cheesemaker Alpage La Bassine was named the best Swiss cheese of 2018 on Saturday.
Swiss cheese and Asian tea: An arranged culinary marriage
This content was published on
An expert matchmaker shares tips on how to pair cheese and tea with special combinations created exclusively for swissinfo.ch.
This content was published on
Each type of Swiss cheese has its own unique taste thanks to a special ingredient that’s kept in a government-run Swiss cheese bank.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.