Aspergillus westerdijkiae mold threatens artisan cheese production

While fungi like Penicillium roqueforti have been essential to cheese making for millennia, a different mold species is causing significant issues for producers. Research led by microbiologist Benjamin Wolfe at Tufts University has identified Aspergillus westerdijkiae as a disruptive invader in artisan cheese production.

Over the last decade, contamination events involving this spoilage mold have occurred at facilities in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont. Unlike beneficial molds that create characteristic veins or textures, Aspergillus westerdijkiae can muscle out necessary microbial communities, causing cheese to rot rather than ripen. The fungus leaves flaking black patches on varieties such as goat cheese and secretes dangerous toxins, posing aesthetic, flavor, and potential safety risks.