Why France's Camembert cheese could soon disappear from kitchens

France’s favourite Camembert cheese is in trouble.

Fans of this iconic fromage are in a panic as a fungus crisis threatens to wipe off the soft cheese.

Scientists have warned that issues with the industrial manufacture of French cheese could have long-term effects on the product.

Brie, blue, and the infamously foul-smelling Camembert have topped the list of high-risk foods, according to the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

Here’s what is happening.

The threat of extinction

A recent study conducted by scientists at Paris-Saclay University raised concerns in January when they found that the industrial production methods used to meet demand were causing an increasingly limited supply of the major fungus used to make Camembert and other cheeses.

“Blue cheeses may be under threat, but the situation is much worse for Camembert, which is already on the verge of extinction,” the CNRS said in its report.

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According to scientists, P. camemberti is having difficulties reproducing, partly due to the pressures of industrial manufacturing.

The cause of the asexual fungal culture process’s exhaustion stems from a severe lack of genetic variation, rather than performance anxiety per se, explained CNN.

Penicillium camemberti, unfortunately, has much lower genetic diversity and a decreased ability to reproduce sexually than its cave-dwelling fungal competitors.

“Our findings raise questions about the use of a limited number of clonal strains for cheese making, which tends to lead to degeneration, limiting the possibilities for further improvement,” the study said.

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This implies that manufacturers are finding it extremely difficult to obtain sufficient quantities of P. camemberti spores to inoculate their Normandy cheese production," per the CNRS report.

Why the fungi are crucial

As per US Dairy, the majority of natural cheeses consist of four fundamental components: milk, salt, rennet (a mixture of animal enzymes that separates the cheese curd from the liquid whey), and “good bacteria.”

All cheeses are based on these microorganisms for their textures, aromas, colours, and flavours.

The rinds of camembert and related cheeses, like as Brie, were naturally coloured blue or occasionally yellow-brown by mould spores that grew in caves or hâloirs (drying rooms), according to CNN.

The native mould was replaced in 1897 by Penicillium camemberti, which produced the consistent white rinds that are familiar to us today, reported New York Post.

The fungus turns the Camembert, which was once orange, grey, and green, into a white wheel that looks like brie.

Cheesemakers rely on this unique strain to achieve this look, which is why the business is so vulnerable.

“It’s very important to preserve diversity, even in microorganisms, and in particular in those we use for making food,” Jeanne Ropars, a research scientist specialising in evolutionary genetics and ecology at the CNRS, told Culture magazine.

“Diversity is necessary for the survival of species. Without it, species are unable to cope with environmental change,” he added.

P. camemberti must be cloned in order to be produced in greater quantities, and cloning a single bacterium year after year could introduce harmful problems into the genome.

The problem affects not just the production of cheese but also its international trade and regulation.

The history of Camembert

The creamy, spicy, and oozy cheese has been produced in the Normandy region of northwest France in various forms since at least the 18th century.

As iconic to the French as existentialism, camembert is a national treasure that is adored worldwide, right up there with the Louvre, haute couture, and the Eiffel Tower.

With the introduction of P camemberti, Camembert has had multiple crises. According to CNN, the late Patrick Lance, a British cheese experts who wrote the standard guide to French cheese, claimed that the last century’s industrialisation and conflict nearly destroyed the cheese industry.

The Appellation d’origine protégée (AOP) designation, which limited the Camembert name to cheese produced in Normandy, came to the rescue in 1982.

Notably, the European Commission also states that many kinds of cheese produced in France are eligible for the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) designation, which formally associates a particular cheese with the area in which it was produced, as per New York Post.

With inputs from agencies