Desert truffl es have always been a popular delicacy. Th e old writings reveal that the pharaohs of ancient Egypt cherished them and the Roman emperors regularly imported massive quantities from Libya and Greece. Th ey are collected for their unique fl avour, nutritional value and medicinal properties. Th ey have always been in demand, making them a profi table crop for local populations. Th ey are sold as fresh food, and in some seasons the price may amount, at 2009 prices, to about 100 US Dollars per kg. Th ey may also be canned. Th e local names of truffl es in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States are “faga”, “faqa” or “kamma”, and in Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia theyare known as “terfaz. Drived from “terfaz”, the common name for truffl es in the western part of the Arabic-speaking world.
Desert truffles do not have the same flavor as European truffles, but tend to be more common and thus more affordable. Forest truffles (genus Tuber) typically cost $1,000 per kilogram; Italian truffles may sell for up to $2,200 per kg, while Terfezia truffles sold as of 2002 in Riyadh for $200 to $305 a kg, and in recent years have reached, but not yet exceeded, $570.[7] Israeli agricultural scientists have been attempting to domesticate Terfezia boudieri into a commercial crop Th e two main centres for collection of desert truffl es (ElKholy & Ali, 1992; Ibrahim 1995) are Marsa Matruh Governorate, on the Mediterranean coast of western Egypt, adjacent to the Libyan border (this is the major centre), and Al-Arish, on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean, in the Sinai Penninsula (this area has been and continues to be aff ected by its proximity to a Middle East confl ict area). Human activities likely to be adverse to desert truffl es are currently taking place on the coastal area near Alexandria.
Egyptian truffles as a source of antimicrobial and antioxidant
Desert truffles are edible ascomycetes fungi that are hypogeous, mycorrhizal, and indigenous in the semi-arid and arid Mediterranean region, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Edible desert truffles are obligate symbiotic macro hypogenous ascomycetes fruit bodies. These are growing in depth between 5 and 10 cm. These consider a miracle of nature and an unexploited source of therapeutic compounds with antimicrobial, antioxidant, and wonderful food, especially for Bedouins. The current study investigated the activity of premature and mature ethyl acetate truffle extracts (white and Red) collected from the Western Egyptian Desert as antimicrobial and antioxidant. This study evaluated in vitro the efficacy of antimicrobial activity of organic truffles extract, and their effect on various pathogens (Gramnegative, Gram-positive bacteria, filamentous fungi, and yeast) by using agar well diffusion. TEM micrographs had been done for the most effective crude extracts. Furthermore, the activity of DPPH scavenging was studied for both mature truffles. Both truffles extracts had antibacterial activity more than antifungal activity. The selected extracts exhibited an inhibitory effect on the cell wall and protoplasm of pathogens. Terfezia sp. had antioxidant activity more than Tirmania sp. This investigation concluded that the truffle extracts could be considered a promising antibiotic and antioxidant drug in near future.
Truffles may be regarded as a nutrient source for Bedouin and nomad diets in dry places during harsh winter conditions.
Truffles are high in anthocyanins, oligosaccharides, flavonoids, carotenoids, pheromones, and steroids, among other bioactive chemical elements. Truffles have anti-oxidant, anti-mutagenic, anticarcinogenic, anti-microbial, anti-viral, immune-modulating, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, and sedative bioactive constituents.
White and red truffles were harvested by manual digging from Al-Hammam City in Marsa Matrouh in the Western Egyptian Desert.
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