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The mycelium of Tuber borchii Vittad., a commercial truffle species, is used as a model system for in vitro ectomycorrhizal synthesis, infected seedling production and biotechnological applications. Our fungal cultures were accidentally contaminated with a Staphylococcus pasteuri strain, showing a strong antifungal activity against T. borchii mycelium. In order to identify the antifungal volatile agents produced by S. pasteuri, solid-phase microextraction (SPME) with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used. Using this method 65 microbial volatile organic compounds (MVOCs), synthesized by this bacterium in either single or in fungal-bacterial dual culture, were identified. SPME combined with GC/MS may be a useful method for the determination of MVOCs involved in the antifungal activity. These results showed that bacteria with unusual biological activities could be a major problem during large-scale production of inoculum for truffle-infected seedling.

This study describes a rapid method to identify different truffle species by analysis of their volatile compound fraction using static headspace solid-phase microextraction gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were extracted using a new 2-cm 50/30 µm DVB/CAR/PDMS fiber placed for 10 min in the headspace of the truffle sample with the vial maintained at 20°C (in a thermostatically controlled analysis room). The mass spectra of the VOC chromatograms were represented as ‘fingerprints’ of the analysed samples. Next, stepwise factorial discriminant analysis afforded a limited number of characteristic fragment ions that allowed a classification of the truffle species studied. This new method provides an effective approach to rapid quality control and identification of truffle species by analysis of their volatile fraction. Moreover, this method offers the advantage of minimizing thermal, mechanical, and chemical modifications of the truffles, thereby reducing the risk of analytical artifacts. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fruit body development is a particular phase of the Tuber life cycle, characterised by the aggregation of different types of hyphae, i.e., vegetative hyphal cells and highly specialised reproductive hyphae (asci). In order to identify the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced in different stages of the Tuber borchii ripening fruit body, solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry was used. The volatile organic compounds were extracted using a DVB/CAR/PDMS 50/30 microm fiber placed for 10 min at room temperature in the truffle headspace. The results obtained reveal 49 compounds each of which was present only in a particular stage of maturation. 1-octen-3-ol, aromadendrene, alpha-farnesene and other terpenoid compounds were of particular interest, and their possible biological roles are discussed. The production of aromadendrene in the completely unripe fruit body suggests the existence of communication events in the early stage of ascomata formation between the fungus and the host plant. alpha-Farnesene could represent a chemotactic attractant to saprophytic organisms in order to disperse the fungal spores in the environment. The identification of the VOCs produced by truffles during their maturation could give information about the processes underlying this phase of Tuber life cycle.