Update: Italian Blue Balls of Mozzarella Caused by "Harmless" Bacteria

There have been updates on the case of blue balls of mozzarella in Italy. The case came to light when 70,000 balls of mozzarella were recalled after turning blue when touched by air. Recent updates indicate that the bluish tint the balls of mozzarella experienced are from bacterial contamination which happened during production in Germany.

According to the Huffington Post update, the German maker of the mozzarella balls claims that the problem of contamination was resolved a month ago. However, more blue balls of cheese have been showing up since the confiscation. Blue balls of mozzarella have been found in Turin (the origin of the first complaint), Trento (Northern Italy), Sardinia and Abruzzo. Investigators are claiming that the blue tint is from bacterial contamination but are perplexed on how the cheese became contaminated, according to the report.

Italy's Health Officials are urging Italian mozzarella distributors to stop distributing any cheese made by Milchwerke Jaeger. According to the update, Herman Jaeger, the owner of the German cheese making company, claims to be baffled by the Italians seizure of the blue balls. In the report, he claims that the bacteria is "a harmless germ" and often found in ground water. He also claims that the "harmless germ" has been filter out of the water since mid-May.

It should be noted that the mozzarella balls did not get a bluish-tint right away. The newest report, claims that the mozzarella did not change color until 6-8 hours after the mozzarella was opened. In some cases, it took almost two days for the mozzarella to change from its natural milky-white color to having a blue tint.

No reports of illness have come to light although many people many have eaten the cheese before it turned blue.

Consumers may want to try their hand at making there own mozzarella balls so they can avoid eating bacteria that is considered a "harmless germ". Here is a good place to start: Make Your Own Fresh Mozzarella with Your Microwave.

Sources:
Huffington Post- Blue Mozzarella Investigated