What is the white substance floating in my fresh mozzarella brine?

I purchased fresh mozzarella bocconcini from Whole Foods six days ago. The mozzarella is sold in a brine solution. I opened the package when I bought it and have kept it refrigerated since, using the original packaging and brine solution. Today, I opened the package again to see some white substance floating in the brine as shown below. The mozzarella smells fine, and based on eating one bite, also tastes normal.

What is this substance, and is my mozzarella still safe to eat?

Best Answer

Those are just milk solids.

Quality mozzarella is sold floating in whey, the leftover liquid from making cheese. While most of the milk solids are gone from the whey -- that's what the cheese is made from -- not all of them are. As such, some will coagulate in the fridge, floating on top of the whey.

Now, if the floaters were any color other than white, or if they were fuzzy, that would mean mold. But those are really just cheese bits.

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Quick Answer about "What is the white substance floating in my fresh mozzarella brine?"

Those are just milk solids. Quality mozzarella is sold floating in whey, the leftover liquid from making cheese. While most of the milk solids are gone from the whey -- that's what the cheese is made from -- not all of them are. As such, some will coagulate in the fridge, floating on top of the whey.

How can you tell if fresh mozzarella is bad?

How To Tell If Fresh Mozzarella Is Bad?

The bag is bloated. If your unopened bag of mozzarella is bloated, it's fairly sure the cheese is done for. ...

Visible mold. That's pretty self-explanatory \u2013 if you see mold, you throw out the mozzarella. ...

Sour smell. ...

Sour or bitter taste.

How do you know if mozzarella is bad in water?

Discard your fresh mozzarella if:

It's moldy, or there are some discolorations on the surface. It grows mold much faster when it's not covered in liquid. ...

It smells or tastes sour. Sour mozzarella equals old mozzarella. ...

It's all dried out or hardened.

Can you use the brine from mozzarella?

If it's a ball of mozzarella, no liquid, and it's unsalted, you can put it in salt water. But if it's salted, you should not put it in fresh water.

What is the liquid in fresh mozzarella?

Usually fresh mozzarella cheese can be found at your local store in a container of water (which is actually whey from making the cheese). Keep fresh mozzarella cheese in its liquid bath and refrigerate until ready to eat and eat it within 2 to 3 days.

Pizza Cheese: How to Use Mozzarella for Pizza Like a Pro! With Davide Civitiello

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: Brett Sayles, Brett Sayles, Maahid Photos, Văn Long Bùi