When we think of endangered species, we tend to imagine tigers, rhinos and pandas rather than Stilton, Camembert and Brie. But behind the scenes, biologists are fighting a quiet war to save the dwindling fungi behind some of the world's famous cheeses from extinction.
The solution might come from an unexpected quarter – Nottingham, where a fungal biology start-up has been working on a project to give mould its mojo back. Myconeos, which works with scientists at the University of Nottingham, says it is developing a "holy grail" to ensure the survival of beloved cheeses.
'Fading Habsburg dynasty'
In January, France's National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) warned that the strains of fungi that create the distinctive taste, smell and appearance of some of the country's best-loved cheeses were in serious decline.
Traditionally, cheesemakers gathered fungi that occurred naturally in their local area, and these were added to curds to create the "delicious rot" needed to make cheeses such as Roquefort and Camembert. The advent of industrialised cheese-making meant that the fungi started to be artificially reproduced to keep up with demand, and over the generations, some strains' reproductive capabilities have weakened like a "fading Habsburg dynasty", said The Telegraph. These strains are producing fewer and fewer spores and are also "subject to genetic drift, prone to contamination, and can cause quality problems for manufacturers", said FoodNavigator.
Camembert is most in danger, according to the CNRS report. The consumer expectation for uniformity means that farmers "selected certain strains that produce the right look, aroma, and flavour, narrowing the genetic pool", said Vox. This collapse of microbial diversity means that some varieties, such as Camembert, are reliant on a single strain of fungus that cannot reproduce naturally and is increasingly hard to produce asexually.
'Almost orgasmic'
Hope is on the horizon, however. Myconeos has already been able to kickstart sexual reproduction in one of the fading strains – Penicillium roqueforti, which is essential not just in the production of Roquefort but of Stilton, Shropshire Blue and many other blue cheeses.
The process involves DNA analysis which screens fungi for sexual compatibility, finely tuned temperature and lighting, and, improbably, porridge; after discovering that fungi respond particularly well to Irish oats, the Petri dish used to stimulate reproduction is coated in a "porridge-based medium".
"The first thought that went through my head was, my goodness, these fungi have been waiting to have sex for decades, if not hundreds of years, and we're giving them the opportunity," Myconeos director of research Professor Paul Dyer told The Telegraph. The "proliferation of fungi", he said, was "almost orgasmic". He believes the team are within reach of the "holy grail" of developing self-propagating strains of fungi that can produce Camembert and Brie.
Whether it's through the creation of new strains or embracing the natural diversity still found in the wild, increased genetic diversity is something consumers will have to get used to. "Perhaps your wheel of brie would be a bit more blue or grey, or slightly funkier," said Vox, but saving these cheeses "requires some changes in our own taste and tolerance".
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