Penicillium camemberti

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.

Penicillium camemberti
Scientific 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
  • Penicillium album Epstein (1902)
  • Penicillium rogeri Wehmer (1906)
  • Penicillium caseicola Bainier (1907)
  • Penicillium biforme Thom (1910)
  • Penicillium candidum Roger (1923)
  • Penicillium paecilomyceforme Szilvinyi (1941)

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. 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.

Using PCR techniques, cheese manufacturers can control cheesemaking by monitoring the mycelial growth of P. camemberti. 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.

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