When we think of endangered species, we tend to think of tigers, rhinos and pandas rather than Stilton, Camembert and Brie, but behind the scenes, biologists are fighting a quiet battle to save the fungus that gives the world some of its most famous cheeses from extinction.
The solution may come from an unlikely place: In Nottingham, a fungal biology start-up is working on a project to revive mould. Working with scientists from the University of Nottingham, Mykoneos says they are developing the “holy grail” to ensure the survival of the beloved cheese.
“The Habsburg Dynasty in Decline”
France’s National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) warned in January that the strain of fungus that gives the country’s best-loved cheese its distinctive taste, aroma and appearance was in serious decline.
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Traditionally, cheesemakers would collect naturally occurring fungi locally and add them to curds to create the “delicious spoilage” needed to make cheeses like Roquefort and Camembert. With the advent of industrialized cheesemaking, fungi were artificially bred to meet demand, and over the generations, some strains’ fertility weakened, like a “fading Habsburg dynasty,” according to The Telegraph. These strains produce fewer and fewer spores and are “more susceptible to genetic drift and prone to contamination, which can cause quality issues for manufacturers,” according to Food Navigator.
Camembert cheese is most at risk, according to the CNRS report. Consumer demands for uniformity lead farmers to “select specific strains that produce the right appearance, aroma and flavor, narrowing the gene pool,” Vox said. With microbial diversity collapsing, some varieties, such as Camembert, rely on a single strain that cannot reproduce naturally and is increasingly difficult to produce through asexual reproduction.
“Near orgasm”
But there is hope: Mykoneos has already succeeded in reactivating sexual reproduction of one of the declining strains, Penicillium roqueforti, which is essential to the production of Roquefort as well as Stilton, Shropshire Blue, and many other blue cheeses.
The process involves DNA analysis to test the fungi’s sexual compatibility, tweaks to temperature and lighting, and, surprisingly, porridge: after it was discovered that the fungus responded particularly well to Irish oats, the petri dishes used to stimulate reproduction are coated with a “porridge-based medium.”
“The first thought that came to mind was, wow, these fungi have been waiting for decades, maybe centuries, to mate and we’ve given them the opportunity,” Mykoneos lead researcher Professor Paul Dyer told The Telegraph. He described the “fungal growth” as “almost orgasmic.” He believes the team is close to achieving the “Holy Grail” of developing a self-replicating fungal strain capable of producing Camembert and Brie cheeses.
Whether it’s the creation of new varieties or embracing the natural diversity that still remains in the wild, increased genetic diversity is something consumers will have to get used to: “Maybe Brie will become a little more blue or gray or a little more exotic,” says Vox, but saving these cheeses “will require some changes in our own tastes and tolerances.”
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