Scientists sniff out the secrets of cheese with fungi genome study

Makers of Roquefort and Camembert could benefit from a new genetic study of 14 fungal species found in cheeses, French researchers said.

But the study published in the journal Current Biology on Thursday also raises questions about food safety due to the transfer of genes among Penicillium fungi, which are key to the making of soft cheeses.

“We were able to identify genes that are directly involved in the adaptation to cheese in Penicillium, opening the way for strain improvement, in particular for obtaining fast-growing strains,” said co-author Antoine Branca of L’Universite Paris-Sud.

Scientists found an important role for the transfer of genes among the fungi, which allows them to adapt to the fermentation process that produces cheese.

“Cheeses are an emblematic French food, and there is a great diversity of cheese-making fungal species and strains, used for different kinds of cheeses, and thus selected for different traits,” said co-author Tatiana Giraud.

But the ease with which genes are exchanged among species also suggests that fungi which spoil food or produce toxins could easily find their way into growing in cheeses.