American scientist Christina Agapakis and Norwegian scent expert Sissel Tolaas teamed up and together gave life to the idea of using human bacteria in dairy products. Hand in hand, they collected bacteria from various parts of the human body such as the nose, belly button, inside of the mouth and even tears to construct a set of cheeses they like to call 'Selfmade.'
To their knowledge, "everybody has a unique and diverse set of bacteria living on their skin that can be amplified and grown directly in milk to form and flavor cheese," according to the site. There are 11 cheeses in the Selfmade set and each finely crafted from the human bacteria of either a scientist, artist or anthropologist. Each cheese is said to taste and smell like the body odor of the donor. Yummy! Selfmade aims to prove just how living organisms that exist in the body also exist in dairy products and even other foods.
This peculiar project sure could have gotten Hannibal Lecture out of all his nasty messes.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Human-made Cheese
- Using bacteria from the human body to create unique flavors in cheese.
- Microbiome-based Food
- Exploring the use of bacteria from different parts of the human body in various food products.
- Sensory Experience Enhancement
- Creating food products that evoke specific smells and tastes associated with the human body.
Sectors Adopting This
- Food and Beverage
- Opportunity to develop innovative and personalized food products utilizing the unique bacteria found on human bodies.
- Biotechnology
- Potential for advancements in using human bacteria for food production and flavor enhancement.
- Fine Dining and Culinary Arts
- New possibilities for chefs and food artisans to create unique and provocative flavor experiences using human bacteria.
