Michigan State University researchers — together with colleagues from the University of Florida, citizen scientists and their “truffle dogs” — have discovered two recent varieties of truffles.
Tuber canirevelatum, meaning 'dog-meat' truffle, was named in honor of truffle dogs and Monza, the dog who discovered it along with his trainer Louis Martin. The other, Tuber cumberlandense, was named for the Cumberland Plateau where it was found by Margaret Townsend and her truffle dog, Luca.
T. canirevelatum didn't look or smell like anything that grows in North America, so wanting to discover what it was, Martin took it to the MSU College Department of Plant, Soil and sent to the lab of Gregory Bonito, associate professor of microbial sciences. Agriculture and natural resources. Bonito and his undergraduate research student, Alasane Xu, lead creator of the study, used DNA analyzes to discover the 2 truffles and place them on the tree of life.
“It was very exciting to get these samples, especially because they were very similar to the well-known edible European truffles Tuber macrosporumand Tuber aestivum,” Sue said. “We hope that describing these two species will increase interest in the cultivation of North American truffles. Our analyzes show that each contains aromatic compounds that are found in some of the most prized truffle species. “
Because of their rarity, truffles are expensive and highly prized within the culinary world. According to Bonito, each of those recent truffle species have economic potential. “In international markets, fresh truffles sell for hundreds and thousands of dollars per kilogram,” Bonito said.
Although T. cumberlandense has been cultivated in truffle orchards and forests and sold under different names, the evaluation shows that it's a separate and previously undescribed species from North America, Bonito said. Bonito said.
Currently, efforts are underway to cultivate this native truffle in Kentucky through Distiller Maker's Mark.
“This particular species has a symbiotic relationship with its host, the white oak, growing from its roots and feeding the trees,” Bonito said. “Maker's Mark is interested in cultivating T. cumberlandense because they age their whiskey in white oak barrels. They will be reforesting their land in Kentucky with white oak for barrels and hope Someday the truffles will be harvested; maybe they'll even make truffle-infused whiskey.”
Historically, the main target has been on the cultivation and sale of European truffle species, but there may be increasing interest within the cultivation, wild harvesting and sale of truffle species native to North America.
More and more individuals are attempting to grow truffles, which implies more dogs are needed to smell out these fungal fruits as they grow underground, Bonito said.
“If you have $20,000 worth of truffles growing underground, you need to find them before they die, so the dogs are very important,” Bonito said.
Bonito, together with Matthew Smith of the University of Florida's Department of Plant Pathology, has been surveying and identifying native North American truffles since 2010. Bonito and Smith received NSF funding in 2020 for research on truffles, morels and their evolution. relatives referred to as Pezizales, who supported the work.
“Truffles are one of the most mysterious and fascinating fungi on the planet,” said Benjamin Lemond, a member of the Smith Lab in Florida. Eager live. And enjoy their unique culinary properties. This study shows that there are still undiscovered truffles right under our noses, and that without the assistance of dogs (and their incredible noses). We may never find them.”
In addition to naming and describing these recent species, Bonito said each truffle species produces a singular aroma, which is the idea of truffles' culinary potential and hence their value.
Bonito and Xu worked with MSU's Randy Beaudry, a professor within the Department of Horticulture, to quantify and characterize the volatiles using gas chromatography. Volatiles are the chemical compounds that produce the aroma of truffles.
“This device allowed us to measure the volatile organic compounds released by the truffle,” Su said. “We found that T. canirevelatum was enriched in compounds resembling dimethyl sulfide and methyl 1-propenyl sulfide, which contribute to the delicious garlic aroma of truffles. Piedmont White Truffle) and a couple of,4-dithiapentane (typically synthetic truffle used when making the product).
“Our research reinforces the importance of using trained truffle dogs in tuber research and truffle farming,” Bonito said. “We suspect that many endemic tuber species have yet to be discovered and described. This work must be improved through continued collaboration between entomologists — scientists who study fungi — the public and trained truffle dogs. Will.”