Contrôle du cycle de reproduction asexuée de Penicillium camemberti pour influencer la production de conidies – Aymeric Paradis.

Executive Summary

Penicillium camemberti (formerly Penicillium candidum) is a cornerstone microorganism in the production of traditional soft cheeses like Camembert and Brie, and its industrial cultivation requires rare, highly specialized expertise developed over decades. Despite its importance, production know‑how has remained largely empirical, with limited scientific insight into the fungus’s biology and fermentation. This recent research has identified a key transcription factor controlling spore production, the commercial form of the fungus, and enabled optimization of its industrial‑scale cultivation.  

Why This Research Matters 

This fundamental research aims to strengthen industrial cheese performance by advancing the scientific understanding and control of Penicillium camemberti, a microorganism central to specialty cheese making.  

This original research led to a 1.7-fold increase in process productivity, along with deeper understanding and control of Penicillium processes. It also enabled the development of new tools to advance knowledge of the fungus, and optimize it from the perspective of industrial production. 

This was achieved by developing an image analysis tool that automatically counts Penicillium spores—saving time for operators and speeding up experiments.  

About the Authors  

IFF expert Aymeric Paradis conducted this research in collaboration with Université Paris Cité, the work bridged academic and industrial environments. Beyond the thesis itself, this work helped innovate R&D activities on filamentous fungi and prompted new research directions and process improvements that supported greater efficiency, including energy and water savings. 

Expert Contributor Dr. Aymeric Paradis

What is the value of fundamental research on a filamentous fungus of industrial interest?

Penicillium camemberti, historically sold under the name Penicillium candidum, is an essential reference for traditional soft cheese producers, such as Camembert or Brie.  

Mastery of its production in liquid medium, a complex process refined over decades by a few specialized companies, represents a rare and valuable expertise. However, this know-how remains largely empirical, and theoretical knowledge about the biology and cultivation of P. camemberti is limited, as evidenced by the small number of scientific publications or patents on its fermentation.  

Our research in the physiology and genomics of this filamentous fungus has led to the identification of a transcription factor essential for spore production, the commercial form of P. candidum, and has optimized its production on an industrial scale. Conducted at various scales, from laboratory to pilot, these studies have contributed to a deeper understanding of the asexual reproduction of the microorganism, both at the macroscopic and microscopic levels. Thus, science proves to be a valuable lever for improving and stabilizing the production of this fungus, central to the making of historical cheeses.

Practical Applications in Food Biosciences 

Thanks to this innovation, researchers were able to study how Penicillium camemberti behaves under different fermentation conditions and even identify a key factor that controls spore formation. This breakthrough opens the door to better control of spore production, which is essential for improving processes in food fermentation. 

How this research was conducted 

Fermentation conditions screening and sequencing data analysis were performed at the Paris Interdisciplinary Energy Research Institute (LIED), part of Paris Cité University. The scale-up of the process from laboratory to production was conducted at IFF’s Dangé-Saint-Romain facility, within the Bioprocess Development Center (BDC).

Explore the Full Scientific Paper 

Read the full doctoral thesis (in French) in the official on-site research doctoral thesis from France.