Among the many species going extinct in our modern age, none is more heartbreaking than the rapid decline of brie cheese. It is popularly known as one of the most delicious, rich cheeses, and its easy application into any foods from bread to grapes. People may think that this tasty cheese will be in endless supply, but a microscopic crisis is threatening its future; the dying of mold.
Penicillium camemberti, the white mold responsible for brie’s delicious creamy rich flavor—is dying. Without this mold, true brie cannot exist and will never taste the same. For centuries, cheese makers allowed brie to grow naturally. However, over time, as brie became more globalized and popular, it gave rise to an industrially manufactured process of cheese making. Producers would select only the most pure white strands of mold to create more visually appearing cheeses. While this has made brie cheese more attractive to consumers it has also posed a dangerous threat to the continuation of this famous cheese. Essentially, the fungus has been genetically cloned for generations.
While on the outside, this doesn’t seem like a serious threat, this lack of diversity of the mold species makes it extremely vulnerable. The mold becomes susceptible to various diseases, environmental changes, and contamination that could’ve been prevented if the mold were allowed to adapt to these outside threats over time. This is increasingly dangerous for future brie cheese supply, for “if a disease or pathogen emerges to which the remaining strain is susceptible, it could wipe out the entire population.” The effects of the cheese makers breeding the mold too selectively to make it “picture perfect” have caused weaker flavors and failure to age properly or reproduce.
Ultimately, the thought of a possible extinction of the world’s “favorite” cheese is devastating. It warns us of the critical consequences we face for sacrificing biodiversity for the sake of visual and savory perfection, rather than naturally cultivated cheese. The rich, creamy flavor of brie cheese depends entirely on the survival of this one strand of mold, and without measures taken to restore genetic diversity, we might lose it entirely. Protecting the future of brie means accepting natural variation and resilience over visually flawless cheese to ensure that our future generations can also enjoy the world’s most beloved cheese of all.