Back in February, the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) announced some pretty dismal news. Many of our favorite cheeses, including Camembert, brie and various blue cheese varieties, are on the “verge of extinction” due to a collapse in microbial diversity.
The issue centers on one specific strain of fungi called Penicillium camemberti, which is revered as “the gold standard for brie and Camembert” because of its appetizing qualities. Cheese itself contains its own ecosystem of molds, yeasts and bacteria that work in tandem to give cheese their signature funk. However, in recent years, the genetic diversity of such microbes has declined immensely. Many signature French cheeses currently rely on just one single fragile strain of fungi — Penicillium camemberti — which is unfortunately at risk of dying out.
