Mushrooms
Dog-revealed truffle
The dog-revealed truffle, Tuber canirevelatum, is a North American truffle found in a truffle orchard by a trained dog. Its aroma resembles that of European truffles, but its edibility and its range are not yet settled by the sources read.
A truffle found by a dog
Tuber canirevelatum was found in a North American truffle orchard by Monza, a truffle dog, working with her trainer Lois Martin. The fungus did not look or smell like any truffle known in North America, so Martin sent samples to Gregory Bonito's laboratory at Michigan State University. The species name honours the truffle dogs in general and Monza in particular.
A truffle is the fruiting body of an underground fungus that lives in association with the roots of trees. Species like this one are found by smell, which is why a trained dog can locate them where a person would not.
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Aroma and comparison with European truffles
The species is enriched in dimethyl sulfide and methyl 1-propenyl sulfide, compounds that give a savoury garlic aroma. Researchers reported that it looked very similar to the European truffles Tuber macrosporum and Tuber aestivum. The authors say it carries aromatic compounds found in some of the most valuable truffle species.
This resemblance is a comparison of chemistry and appearance. It is not evidence of the same flavour or of the same culinary use.
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Edibility and culinary standing
The news account read for this page does not call the species edible in so many words. It notes that truffles are prized in cooking and that the new species has economic potential, with fresh truffles selling for hundreds to thousands of dollars per kilogram in international markets. The European relatives it resembles are described there as well-known edible truffles.
No preparation, quantity or safety guidance for this species is recorded here, because none was found in the sources read. The catalogue record for this species carries its own conditions, and anyone using the name should check that record before relying on any food use.
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Names and status
The catalogue records the scientific name as Tuber canirevelatum and treats it as a research name, with no blanket validation of its current accepted status. The description and naming are recent, from the work of the Michigan State University group, so the page keeps the species as a new record rather than a long-established food truffle.
The same survey found a second new species, Tuber cumberlandense, from the Cumberland Plateau, which grows with white oaks. It is a separate record and is not described on this page.
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Places
North America
Historical attestation · Region evidenceThe species was found in a North American truffle orchard. The news account read here does not name the state, and the catalogue record supplies its own location context.
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Sources
Michigan State University TodayHistory · Distribution · Method
MSU researchers plus dogs discover new truffle speciesDiscovery by truffle dog Monza with trainer Lois Martin in a North American truffle orchard; samples sent to Bonito's lab at MSU; name honours truffle dogs
Enriched in dimethyl sulfide and methyl 1-propenyl sulfide; similar to Tuber macrosporum and Tuber aestivum
Truffles prized in cooking; fresh truffles sell for hundreds to thousands of dollars per kilogram; the article does not call the species edible explicitly
Cited in: A truffle found by a dog; Aroma and comparison with European truffles; Edibility and culinary standing; Names and status