Business Insider - The Mold Behind Brie Cheese Could Face Extinction. Can We Save It? | Big Business | Business Insider
The Penicillium camemberti mold, essential for Brie and Camembert cheese, has been cloned for over a century, leading to a lack of genetic diversity and potential extinction. This poses a significant risk to the cheese industry, which relies heavily on this mold. French scientists have raised concerns about its vulnerability to mutations and diseases due to its asexual reproduction, which limits genetic variation. The mold's extinction could disrupt cheese production globally, particularly in France, a major producer of these cheeses. Cheesemakers like Simon Berry in New Zealand have started exploring alternative molds, such as a new blue mold discovered locally, which has been successfully commercialized. This highlights the need for innovation and diversification in mold usage to ensure the sustainability of cheese production. Jeanne Ropars, a researcher, is investigating potential alternatives like Penicillium biforme, which may offer a solution if proven safe and consistent for cheese production.
Key Points:
- Penicillium camemberti mold is crucial for Brie and Camembert but faces extinction due to lack of genetic diversity.
- The mold reproduces asexually, leading to fewer spores and increased vulnerability to mutations and diseases.
- Cheesemakers are exploring alternative molds to ensure sustainability, as seen with Simon Berry's new blue mold in New Zealand.
- Jeanne Ropars is researching Penicillium biforme as a potential alternative, focusing on safety and consistency.
- The cheese industry must innovate and diversify mold usage to prevent disruptions in production.
Details:
1. 🔍 The Mystery of Cheese Mold
- The world's supply of Brie and Camembert cheese relies on a single strain of white mold, Penicillium camemberti, which has been cloned for over a century.
- French scientists warn that Penicillium camemberti could be on the verge of extinction, threatening an industry worth billions.
- The reliance on a single mold strain represents a significant risk to the cheese industry.
- Finding a replacement mold in the wild poses a considerable challenge, likened to finding a needle in a haystack.
- The potential extinction of this mold raises concerns for cheese production and availability for consumers worldwide.
2. 🧀 Cheese Production and Mold's Role
- Cheesemakers globally, including Whitestone Cheese Co. in New Zealand, obtain Penicillium camemberti mold from French labs, costing $50 for a dose sufficient for 240 large Brie wheels.
- Mold-inoculated cheeses like Camembert and Gorgonzola have more complex flavors and can be more expensive than non-mold cheeses like mozzarella.
- The cheese curdling process involves adding rennet to separate milk into curds and whey, aiming for a custard-like texture and dice-sized curds.
- A machine lifts and tips nearly 500 pounds of curds into ring molds, while workers fill them by hand, producing over 8,000 mini Brie wheels daily.
- The drained liquid whey is donated to local farms for animal feed.
- Brie rounds chill for 24 hours for curds to knit together, flipped twice weekly for even mold growth, and submerged in a saltwater bath after 12 days for flavor and preservation.
- Mold grows optimally at 10-12 degrees Celsius, creating a fluffy layer on the cheese surface, with packaging occurring after two weeks of aging.
3. 🌱 The Evolution and Risks of Cheese Mold
- Cheese molds were initially wild and were domesticated over centuries, akin to the transformation of wild grains into corn.
- Early cheeses like Brie and Camembert were vastly different from today's versions, characterized by a blue color and unpleasant smell, such as the Camembert that smelled like a wet basement 250 years ago.
- The domestication of molds carried risks of developing toxic variants, necessitating careful selection.
- In the late 1800s, French scientists isolated a rare Penicillium mold with a beneficial genetic mutation, named Penicillium camemberti, which produced a creamy, tangy, and visually appealing cheese.
- Penicillium camemberti's rapid growth and consistent, non-toxic production made it widely adopted by cheesemakers, transforming cheese production.
- The adoption of Penicillium camemberti ensured safe cheese production but also posed risks to the diversity of cheese molds, potentially limiting variety in modern cheese offerings.
- Current cheese production leverages Penicillium camemberti for its reliability, but there is a renewed interest in exploring diverse molds to enhance cheese variety and flavor profiles.
4. 🚨 The Threat of Extinction for Penicillium Camemberti
- Jeanne Ropars has been researching cheese molds adaptation at the French National Center for Scientific Research and warned in 2024 about Penicillium camemberti's potential extinction.
- Penicillium camemberti reproduces asexually by releasing spores that are genetic clones of the parent, leading to decreased spore production over time.
- Over a century of cloning has resulted in fewer spores, making it difficult for cheese producers to maintain sufficient Penicillium for sale.
- Cloning risks introducing more harmful mutations, leading to degeneration and the eventual death of the strain.
- The mold's lack of genetic diversity makes it vulnerable to pests and diseases, which could lead to the strain's rapid extinction.
- Penicillium camemberti developed a white color due to its growth in dark cheese caves, providing little UV protection compared to its ancestral blue mold.
- The lack of genetic diversity mirrors issues in other industries relying on limited crop varieties, like the Cavendish banana, which faces a deadly fungus due to cloning practices.
- While there are no current diseases threatening Penicillium camemberti, the mold's genetic vulnerability could pose future risks.
5. 🇫🇷 French Cheesemakers' Concerns
5.1. Concerns About Camembert Production
5.2. Traditional Cheesemaking Methods
5.3. Impact of Mold Availability on Global Markets
6. 🧭 Discovering New Molds in New Zealand
- New Zealand consumers have developed a taste for diverse cheese flavors, allowing for experimentation with new cheese varieties.
- A unique blue mold was discovered on a hay bale on a farm in New Zealand, providing a novel flavor profile not seen before.
- This mold was one of the few nontoxic molds found in the wild and commercialized in recent decades, requiring governmental approval and safety validation through lab tests.
- The process of integrating this new mold into cheese production took six months of experimentation to perfect.
- Shenley Station Blue, the new cheese, is produced by rolling the cheese wheels in salt by hand, enabling precise control over salt levels and preventing mold cross-contamination.
- The maturation process involves storing the cheese at 48 degrees Fahrenheit in a separate aging room to maintain mold purity.
- The cheese is turned by hand twice a week to ensure even development of the blue mold, resulting in a crumbly texture as it ages.
- Shenley Station Blue is sold at nearly double the price of Brie, reflecting its unique qualities and high demand among consumers.
- The cheese is praised for its mild flavor and versatility, especially in cooking, where it melts well into pasta sauces.
- Simon, the producer, encourages other cheese makers to explore new molds, likening the discovery process to being 'the Indiana Jones of cheese.'
7. 🔬 The Search for Mold Diversity
7.1. Challenges in Finding White Molds
7.2. DNA Sequencing and Adaptation
7.3. Challenges with Penicillium Biforme
7.4. Future Prospects and Innovation
8. 🍽️ Enjoying Cheese Mold: To Eat or Not to Eat?
- Mold on cheese, such as in blue cheese or Brie, is typically safe to eat and is an integral part of the flavor profile.
- Some people may find the taste of mold on cheese bitter or may dislike its texture, which is perfectly normal.
- If the mold is not to your liking, it is acceptable to scoop out the creamy inside and avoid the mold.
- Consuming cheese mold is safe due to the controlled conditions in which these cheeses are produced, ensuring that the mold is non-toxic.