this post was submitted on 20 Mar 2024
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Mycology

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Many signature French cheeses currently rely on just one single fragile strain of fungi — Penicillium camemberti — which is unfortunately at risk of dying out.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/12041593

Countless fans took to social media to share ways they're enjoying brie before the cheese is gone for good

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[–] merde@sh.itjust.works 8 points 6 months ago

Lovers of certain famous, creamy French cheeses could be in for a bit of a shock. Camembert and Brie are facing extinction as we know them! The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris has stated that, over the last 100 years, the food and farming industry has placed too much pressure on the production of these types of cheeses. Now, the fungus traditionally used to grow the famous, fluffy white rinds has been cloned to a point where the lack of diversity in its genetic makeup means it can no longer be reproduced. Turophiles must learn to appreciate more diversity of tastes, colours and textures to protect the cheeses’ future.

Episode webpage: BBC Inside Science: The Gulf Stream’s tipping point

Media file: http://open.live.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/6/redir/version/2.0/mediaset/audio-nondrm-download/proto/http/vpid/p0hc7sv5.mp3