The smell of a black truffle has been described as earthy, pungent, euphoric and even sexy.
These delicacies, which can sell for £860 to £3,000 ($1,345 to $4,700) per kilogram, cause the pigs and dogs that hunt them to fall under a frantic spell.
Now researchers in Italy have discovered that a ‘bliss molecule’, similar to the trahydrocannabinol (THC) compound found in cannabis, may be behind black truffle’s potent powers.
The molecule, named anandamide, behaves like the psychoactive ingredient found in majijuana to release mood-enhancing chemicals in the brain, according to a report by Nic Fleming at the BBC.
Mauro Maccarrone, of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Italy, explained that anandamide is also used in humans to trigger the release of melanin.
Scientists have dubbed the compound the ‘bliss molecule’ due to the way it can change mood, memory, appetite and depression. Its creation in black truffles create the plant’s dark colour.
These prized culinary ingredients, the researchers found, do not have the required receptors that anandamide binds to, meaning that black no use for the chemical.
Instead, they believe that black truffles may have evolved this chemical make-up to encourage animals such as pigs and dogs to sniff them out, BBC Earth says.
It may sound counterintuitive, but the fungus’ tiny spores are spread over a wider area if the anandamide-intoxicated animal eats the truffle, rather than if it is left alone.
The team now want to look at whether whether white, burgundy and Bianchetto truffles have also evolved the chemical profile.
Earlier this year, a separate study by Dr Richard Spilvallo at Goethe University in Frankfurt found that truffles owe their unique smell and flavour to dirt.
The research team said that bacteria from the surrounding soil becomes trapped inside the truffles as they grow, creating their distinctive smell.
The compounds produced by the bacteria, which contain high levels of sulphur, can also be detected by humans causing their highly desirable flavour.
Researchers also found that high levels of these aroma producing bacteria lead to the truffles having a far shorter shelf life as they break down the fungi.
They hope to use their results to find ways of predicting how long a truffle might last on the shelf once dug up.
(dailymail.co.uk)
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