Environmental conditions influence the biochemical properties of the fruiting bodies of Tuber magnatum Pico

Federico Vita,Cosimo Taiti,Stefano Mancuso,Luigi Mondello,Amedeo Alpi,Vittoria Locato,Flavio Antonio Franchina,Marco Santonico,Giorgio Pennazza,Giorgia Purcaro,Laura De Gara

doi:10.1038/s41598-018-25520-7

Federico Vita, Cosimo Taiti + Show 9 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-25520-7

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Abstract

The influences of various factors, including the symbiosis established with the roots of specific tree species, on the production of volatiles in the fruiting bodies of Tuber magnatum have not been investigated yet. Volatiles in T. magnatum fruiting bodies were quantitatively and qualitatively determined by both PTR-MS and GC-MS in order to compare the accuracy of the two methods. An electronic nose was also used to characterize truffle samples. The influence of environmental changes on the antioxidant capabilities of fruiting bodies was also determined. Statistically significant differences were found between fruiting bodies with different origins. The relationship between the quality of white truffle fruiting bodies and their specific host plant is described along with an analysis of metabolites other than VOCs that have ecological roles. Our results indicate that the geographical origin (Italy and Istria) of the fruiting bodies is correlated with the quantity and quality of volatiles and various antioxidant metabolites. This is the first report characterizing antioxidant compounds other than VOCs in white truffles. The correlation between geographical origin and antioxidant contents suggests that these compounds may be useful for certifying the geographical origin of truffles.

Highlights

Gioacchini, et al.[1] stated that a truffle’s aroma is a key contributor to the appreciation of its fruiting bodies
Analysis combined the highly sensitive Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) method with gas-chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and extended the sampling of fruiting bodies to include various locations in Italy, taking into account the plant species associated with the fungus when possible
Analysis of volatiles from T. magnatum was performed with PTR-TOF on selected fruiting bodies (Supplementary Information, Fig. S1, Table 1) and led to the putative identification of 66 compounds (Supplementary Information, Table S1)

Summary

Introduction

Gioacchini, et al.[1] stated that a truffle’s aroma is a key contributor to the appreciation of its fruiting bodies. The composition of the T. magnatum aroma is influenced by various factors including the presence of genetically differentiated populations[8] and the variability of the bacterial[9] and fungal[10,11] communities associated with the truffle, but the climate of its geographical area of origin has the strongest effect[1] Antioxidants are another class of metabolites that vary a lot in response to the environment. Ascorbate and glutathione are among the most studied antioxidants that have clear positive impacts on human health[13] and delay the oxidative processes that occur in the decay and spoilage of food post-harvest These metabolites are involved in defending against biotic and abiotic environmental stresses[14]. Variations in the contents of other antioxidant metabolites have been reported in the desert truffle Tirmania nivea collected from different Middle Eastern regions[16]

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