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"To compensate for the shortcomings caused by its degeneration, some cheese makers resort to supplementing P. camemberti with a second species of fungi: Geotrichum candidum, also selected for its white, cottony texture.

So what can be done to save Camembert? Should producers return to a “wild” population, similar to P. camemberti, and restart the long process of domestication? Could they resort to genome editing technologies in order to counter the accumulation of mutations or the loss of specific genes with a given desirable function? “People in the industry sometimes ask us whether it’s possible to modify a gene and allow a strain to sporulate in greater quantities,” Giraud reveals, quickly adding that this would not solve the problem: “Genome editing is another form of selection. What we need today is the diversity provided by sexual reproduction between individuals with different genomes.”

A species that is genetically similar to P. camemberti, called Penicillium biforme, also found in cheese because it is naturally present in raw milk, possesses an incredible genetic and phenotypic diversity. This opens up the possibility of inoculating Camemberts and Bries with P. biforme. If cheese lovers want to keep enjoying these products, they will have to learn to appreciate greater diversity in flavour, colour and texture, perhaps even among cheeses from a single source. And, who knows, thereby contribute to enriching our gastronomic heritage."

Below you can see P. camemberti, which is white, and P. biforme, which is green. Look yummy?

I got all this from here, where you can also read about the Roquefort crisis:

https://news.cnrs.fr/articles/french-cheese-under-threat

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