According to CNN, a group of Chinese scientists found goat DNA and fermented bacteria in samples placed around a 3,600-year-old mummy.
This mummy was found in a coffin in Xiaohe cemetery, Xinjiang autonomous region (China); known as the oldest mummy in the world.
After studying the samples, scientists learned that fermented foods, including kefir cheese, were an important part of people's lives in Xiaohe.
Kefir is a type of cheese that has been identified in laboratory tests and is still widely consumed in modern times. Scientists have concluded that kefir is the oldest cheese in the world.
The study also found that the Xiaohe people did not mix different types of milk together when making kefir cheese. Scientists believe that the Xiaohe people's method of making kefir cheese is similar to modern times and has been passed down from generation to generation.
Scientists were surprised to discover two more types of bacteria in the samples, which are the same types of bacteria found in kefir cheese today.
Dr. Qiaomei Fu, the head of the research team, said that this discovery is very helpful in understanding the evolution of bacteria over the past 3,600 years. The author of the study also stated that fermented drinks originated not only in the North Caucasus region (Russia) but also in the Bronze Age in Xinjiang.
Scientists further explain that the reason why Xiaohe people prefer kefir cheese is because it has a low lactose content - Xiaohe people are genetically lactose intolerant. In addition, cheese production is also a way to extend the shelf life of raw milk.
Mr. Fu said that thanks to this research, he can better understand the lives of ancient people and how they interacted with life.
The study was conducted by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Third Hospital of Peking University, the Xinjiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, and Xinjiang University. The results of the study were officially published on September 25 in the journal Cell.
