Penicillium camemberti

Penicillium camemberti
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Fungi
Division: Ascomycota
Class: Eurotiomycetes
Order: Eurotiales
Family: Aspergillaceae
Genus: Penicillium
Species:
P. camemberti
Binomial name
Penicillium camemberti
Thom (1906)
Synonyms[1]
  • Penicillium album Epstein (1902)
  • Penicillium rogeri Wehmer (1906)
  • Penicillium caseicola Bainier (1907)
  • Penicillium candidum Roger (1923)
  • Penicillium paecilomyceforme Szilvinyi (1941)

Penicillium camemberti is a species of fungus in the genus Penicillium. It is used in the production of Camembert, Brie, Langres, Coulommiers, and Cambozola cheeses, on which colonies of P. camemberti form a hard, white crust. It is responsible for giving these cheeses their distinctive flavors. An allergy to the antibiotic penicillin does not necessarily imply an allergy to cheeses made using P. camemberti.[2]

When making soft cheese that involves P. camemberti, the mold may be mixed into the ingredients before being placed in the molds, or it may be added to the outside of the cheese after it is removed from the cheese molds.[3] P. camemberti is responsible for the soft, buttery texture of Brie and Camembert, but a too high concentration may lead to an undesirable bitter taste.[4]

Using PCR techniques, cheese manufacturers can control cheesemaking by monitoring the mycelial growth of P. camemberti.[5] This is particularly significant, as controlling the growth is important to maintain desirable levels of compounds for flavor and to keep toxicity at a safe level.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference urlMycoBank: Penicillium camemberti was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Wolke, Robert L. "Cheese Course". Washington Post. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  3. ^ Helweg, Richard (2010). The Complete Guide to Making Cheese, Butter, and Yogurt at Home: Everything You Need to Know Explained Simply. Atlantic Publishing Company. pp. 148–149. ISBN 9781601383556.
  4. ^ Michelson, Patricia (2010). Cheese: Exploring Taste and Tradition. Gibbs Smith. p. 12. ISBN 9781423606512. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
  5. ^ Dréan, G. Le; Mounier, J.; Vasseur, V.; Arzur, D.; Habrylo, O.; Barbier, G. (31 March 2010). "Quantification of Penicillium camemberti and P. roqueforti mycelium by real-time PCR to assess their growth dynamics during ripening cheese". International Journal of Food Microbiology. 136 (1–2): 100–107. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2009.12.013. PMID 20060187.