Concerns brie and camembert to 'go extinct', according to scientists

Experts are warning that Camembert and Brie could soon 'go extinct'.

Yep, according to the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), the fungi that's used to make these cheeses is in decline, which could affect supplies of the popular cheeseboard staples.

This is because people are becoming dependent on using a specific strain of fungi which gives the cheese a white rind, whilst previously you would have seen multicoloured fungus.

The cheeses are made by injecting fungus into curd, which gives Brie and Camembert its white rind.

Could baked camembert one day be a thing of the past? (Credit: Getty)

Typically, you would have seen grey, green and orange moulds up until the 1950s.

Then, the white rind became so popular that the fungi - an albino stain of the penicillium camemberti - started to be depended upon.

In order to keep the quality they wanted, cheesemongers essentially relied on the fungus reproducing asexually – so, cloning itself.

However, over time it has lost its ability to asexually reproduce.

Your cheeseboard could be looking different in future (Credit: Getty)

"What happened, as it does every time an organism large or small is subjected to overly drastic selection, is that their genetic diversity has been greatly reduced,” researcher Jeanne Ropars from Paris-Saclay University told the Times. 

“Working with micro-organisms, the cheesemakers didn’t realise that they had selected a single individual, which is not sustainable over the long term.”

The scientists say blue cheeses like Roquefort are also at risk, but not to the same degree.

We might have to change how we approach making cheese (Credit: Getty)

There is hope, though. Scientists say that a newly discovered population of P. roqueforti, found in a cheese called Termignon blue, could be the key to recovering Camembert and Brie's chances of survival.

The hope is that they can get this fungus to reproduce with the current Camembert and Brie fungus and make the mould more diverse again.

This solution will mean all the Brie and Camembert you see on shelves won't look the same, but at least they'll still be there, ay!

Featured image: Getty