The Mysteries of the White Truffle: Its Biology, Ecology and Cultivation

Abstract

Tuber magnatum Picco is the most expensive of the truffles and a great deal of research has been carried out in an attempt to solve the mysteries of its ecology and biology. However, considerable work remains to be done particularly on those secrets of its life cycle that remain a mystery. It is known that T. magnatum is heterothallic, but it has yet to be determined how fertilization occurs between the two strains of different mating types. It is also known that the white truffle is an ectomycorrhizal fungus, and its mycorrhizas can be produced in greenhouses, but then they seem to disappear in the field. The role of other soil microorganisms, fungi and bacteria, on its soil mycelial development and fructification is intriguing but is far from being completely understood. All these uncertainties have made the cultivation of T. magnatum extremely difficult and only recently have we had the scientific proofs that it is possible. Even so, many questions remain unanswered and the management practices of T. magnatum plantations are still to be better defined to also enable the taming of this truffle.

Transcriptome Metabolic Characterization of <em>Tuber borchii</em> SP1, a New Spanish Strain for<em> In Vitro</em> Studies of the Bianchetto Truffle

“…No vesicles, which are typical features of Tuber spp. mycelia were observed in T. borchii SP1 [28,35].…”

Identification of Bis(methylsulfanyl)methane and Furan-2(5H)-one as Volatile Marker Compounds for the Differentiation of the White Truffle Species Tuber magnatum and Tuber borchii

“…11 The surface is smooth and usually pale ochre in color. 11,12 Reddish spots occasionally occur. 12 A cross-section of a T. magnatum truffle shows light brown flesh with white veins.…”

“…magnatum truffles are typically 2–6 cm in size but can reach up to 15 cm . The surface is smooth and usually pale ochre in color. , Reddish spots occasionally occur . A cross-section of a T.…”

“…11,12 Reddish spots occasionally occur. 12 A cross-section of a T. magnatum truffle shows light brown flesh with white veins. 5 T. borchii truffles, on average, are smaller than T. magnatum truffles and typically show sizes of 2−3 cm.…”

Tuber magnatum Picco: the challenge to identify ascoma-associated bacteria as markers for geographic traceability

“…In addition to their ecological role, some truffle species are of considerable economic and commercial importance (Monaco et al, 2022 ). Tuber magnatum Picco, often known as the “Italian white truffle,” is the most expensive of all gourmet truffle species, with a retail price of thousands of euros per kilogram and a trade volume of around 0.9 billion euros per year (Graziosi et al, 2022 ; Monaco et al, 2022 ). High truffle prices have led to several forms of adulteration (Hamzić Gregorčič et al, 2020 ), including the addition of lower-value truffle species (e.g., T. borchii ) in place of T. magnatum (Oliach et al, 2021 ; Tejedor-Calvo et al, 2023 ).…”