Truffle growers concerned manufactured flavouring misleading as demand for raw product grows
Australia is now the fourth-largest truffle producer in the world, exporting more than 11 tonnes valued at $9 million in 2023.
The demand for the expensive but flavoursome fungus continues to rise but growers and wholesalers are concerned consumers do not know what truffles really taste like.
In the Strathbogie ranges in north-east Victoria, basenji dogs Audrey and Winnie are busy sniffing the ground in search of truffle in exchange for a treat.
David and Kate McConnell started growing truffles in 2007 after planting an orchard of oak trees.
The couple said the rise of synthetic truffle flavour is worrying, considering how much work goes into producing the fungus.
"It's something that's a concern from a marketing perspective, definitely," Mr McConnell said.
"The idea is to promote more enjoyment in actually experiencing a real truffle, which is what we try to do."
Simon Friend grades and sells truffles out of Melbourne and said alarm bells go off in his mind when people describe the flavour as "strong".
"As soon as I hear that my initial thought is that they haven't had any real truffle experience," Mr Friend said.
He is worried people who have tasted synthetic truffle flavour do not know that it is different to a fresh truffle.
"It's a misnomer," Mr Friend said.
"There's no real truffle in truffle oil. People don't know that they are actually experiencing a synthetic flavour.
Truffle oils are typically made by infusing a flavour often referred to on the bottle as an "aroma" or "essence".
There are no laws in Australia around the use of synthetic flavours in products, but Mr Friend is worried that consumers are being misled.
"It's the same with vanilla in a huge way. Caviar, and maple syrup too," he said.
"Consumers need to understand there's a tremendous amount of work going to getting a beautiful truffle on a table, or in their butter."
David McConnell admits truffle growing can feel like a bit of a gamble each year.
"The interesting thing about truffles is the dog indicates where they are and until we uncover it we don't know if it's ripe or not," Mr McConnell said.
"You buy the trees inoculated with truffle spores and then you cross your fingers and hope that in four to six years that you'll be successful.
Because truffles are grown underground, growers must train dogs to sniff out the ripe ones before they can dig them up.
Mr McConnell said the fungi did not ripen with time once they were picked so the dogs needed to get the smell correct straight away.
The Strathbogie ranges are ideal for growing truffles with high rain, hot summers and very cold winters.
However, seasonal conditions this year have been very dry and the truffles have been a bit smaller than usual.
"There is nothing like rain from the sky. It's been a challenge to keep the soil moist this year," Mr McConnell said.
"But the demand is growing. We've had our truffles sent all over the world."
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