Brevibacterium linens
The orange-red bacterium on the rinds of washed-rind cheeses, responsible for much of their colour and smell.
Also: B. linens, red smear bacteria
Brevibacterium linens is a bacterium that grows on the moist, salty surface of washed-rind cheeses. It thrives once yeasts on the rind have lowered the acidity, and it paints the rind orange to russet, the colour seen on Munster, Limburger, Époisses and Taleggio. It also produces sulphur compounds that give these cheeses their famous barnyard smell, while the paste beneath can stay mild and supple. It is a close relative of bacteria found on human skin, which is why some washed-rind cheeses are said to smell like feet. Modern smear rinds are recognised as communities of many bacteria and yeasts, with B. linens one member among several, but its name has stuck as shorthand for them all.