Maybe Bliss can shed some light on this.
I've heard that you should never touch a cheese block with your bare hands when grating or cutting cheese, and the cheese will be less likely to mold when returned to the refrigerator. Since we've been doing this we've had better luck with our packs of refrigerated cheese.
No wisecracks about cutting the cheese Bucky.
Ah good timing and I'm back at my computer for a couple minutes.
Yeah, so in our environment, which is also called our 'terroir', pronounced 'terr wah', there is mold and yeast in the air. This is everywhere.
For instance my basement has more mold and yeast in the air with less air flow and more humidity, than say, my upstairs. You'll notice this if you make sauerkraut or fermented pickles (or cheese).
So even if your hands are clean, they pick up mold and yeast from the air, no matter how antiseptic you think you are, you're not. There is even some bacteria in your water, so after you wash your hands, you may have some there.
Salt and vinegar stops or slows down molds and yeasts, so if you use salt or vinegar on your hands, then handle cheese, you might end up with mold everywhere EXCEPT where your hands touch your cheese. I've had this happen with a cheese rind I wanted to grow some blue mold on. (a blue cheese) I left fingerprints on it, of no mold growing.
So yes Kayelle, the less you touch the cheese with your hands, the less mold will get put onto the cheese, less will grow. If you were a cheese maker, and working on the rind formation, cleaning it every other day (let's say), you'd wash it with a mild solution of salt water and vinegar to keep the molds off. Then when you want to age it and the rind has formed adequately, it gets washed dried (air dried) then waxed or vacuum packed.
For cheese in the refrigerator, touch it less, get all the air out of the bag or wrapping. But if you come across a little mold, it's generally not harmful, wash it off with a light brine and vinegar and put it in new packaging.
(Light brine, 2 tsp of salt to 1 cup of water, 1 tsp vinegar)
I hope that answers your question about touching cheese.
The white crystals on cheese can be: There are two type of cheese crystals that can form in a cheese:
Tyrosine and
Calcium Lactate. They are usually found in aged cheeses like cheddar, parmesan, aged gouda.
https://culturecheesemag.com/cheese-bites/crystals-cheeses-best-friend
The white crystals are sought after by most cheese enthusiasts.