A crisis facing French bloomy-rinded cheeses looks to have been averted by the ingenuity of British scientists in a breakthrough that could also usher in a new generation of soft cheeses in the UK.
France’s government science agency, the National Centre for Scientific Research, warned earlier this year that Camembert and Brie could become extinct because commercial strains of the white mould on their rinds (Penicillium camemberti) were dying out due to a lack of genetic diversity caused by years of industrial cultivation.
The news made headlines around the world, but scientists at Nottingham-based fungal biotech company Myconeos, may have the answer after unlocking the secrets of the sexual cycle of the mould and creating new strains.
It was previously thought that Penicillium camemberti replicated asexually, with different strains developing through genetic mutations, but Myconeos has developed techniques to naturally cross breed strains for the first time, promoting genetic diversity within the otherwise limited Penicillium camemberti population.
The breakthrough builds on similar techniques pioneered for the blue mould Penicillium roqueforti, which has led to the creation of new strains with different properties.
Myconeos CEO Dr Jacek Obuchowicz told FFD that further trials to develop commercially viable strains of Penicillium camemberti are planned with Highland Fine Cheeses in Scotland.
The fungal specialist hopes to develop a range of new white moulds for cheesemakers that could create new colours, flavours, textures and enzyme activity in soft cheeses under the Mycoberti brand.
“This solves the problem that French cheesemakers are facing,” he said. “But it also means British cheesemakers will eventually have access to different strains to create new styles of cheese. There is a lack of diversity because large corporations have been using just four to six different strains of Penicillium camemberti, but we now have the ability to create hundreds of new strains.”
He added that new strains could also be used to improve the range and quality of vegan cheeses.
Myconeos has new blue mould strains, under the Mycoforti brand, using the same approach with options for cheesemakers, including classic, mild, intense, artisan and a variety with a pale green colour.
These are distributed by JKM and are already being used by British cheesesmakers to develop new cheeses.
This article first appeared in the September 2024 edition of Fine Food Digest.
