PCR-RFLP using a SNP on the mitochondrial Lsu-rDNA as an easy method to differentiate Tuber melanosporum (Perigord truffle) and other truffle species in cans

Abstract Canned truffle products labeled Tuber melanosporum , the famous Perigord truffle, may contain other less tasty and cheaper truffle species. To protect consumers from fraud, a PCR DNA-based method was used to unequivocally identify the nature of the product. Several rapid and simple cell lysis procedures, used in conjunction with a commercially available DNA purification kit, were evaluated for their effectiveness in recovering DNA from canned truffle. In parallel, a marker for T. melanosporum was tested on the mitochondrial rDNA. These two techniques were then combined to differentiate T. melanosporum from other truffle species like T. aestivum , T. brumale or T. indicum up to the legal threshold in canned products. These findings not only allow a comparison of the effectiveness of the different DNA extraction methods but also provide a preliminary indication of the specificity and sensitivity of the detection with the mitochondrial marker that might be attainable for truffle species in a quantitative PCR-based analysis method.