Forgive me for hitting in on your conversation. I would like to add my own answer to (what appears to be) your central question. Also, forgive me for not reading much past it as I didn’t wish to be distracted by anything further so that I may provide as direct a response as possible, since you have said no one has. And it’s a pretty easy question for any Catholic to give after even a cursory study of the dogma of Transubstantiation.
Your question: The question is -—do you agree that the outward, what is visible, the “species” remains the unchanged? How about that it at least APPEARS to remain unchanged?
My response: YES. The species remain unchanged in every way we can observe with our 5 senses, no matter how much they are examined under a microscope, tested, poked, prodded, etc.
Direct enough for you?
I leave Heart-Rest to reply as well should he/she desire, again I didn’t mean to intrude.