For several years, the truffle flavor has been everywhere: oils, chips, flavored salts… and now in certain fresh cheeses like the limited edition Boursin. If this flavor appeals to many French people, a question remains: what do these so-called “truffle” products really contain?
A fatty cheese… and ultra-processed
This “truffled” spreadable fresh cheese remains above all a product relatively rich in fat, particularly in saturated fatty acids.
“In other words, it must therefore fall into the category of pleasure foods, to be consumed occasionally rather than daily, especially if you monitor your lipid balance. This type of product is also not very filling compared to more raw or less processed foods.“, confides Julie Boët.
Like many flavored spreadable cheeses, it also has a fairly long ingredient list. It includes dairy ferments, oils, salt, but also several additives intended to improve the texture and preservation of the product.
“Among the most common, we often see stabilizers or thickeners such as gums (guar gum, xanthan gum) or modified starches, which serve to maintain a homogeneous and spreadable texture. We can also find cast iron salts or emulsifiers, useful for obtaining a smooth texture and avoiding the separation of the fatty and aqueous phases.“, underlines the dietician.
But what really happens to the truffle? Behind this image of a refined and gourmet product, the reality is often very different.
Truffle aroma: a mainly chemical substance
In this type of industrial preparation, the truffle generally no longer has much luxury.
“This is most often an artificial flavor. In most cases, we find either truffle aromas or flavoring preparations containing very weak traces of truffle.“, confides Julie Boët.
The aroma used is often 2,4-dithiapentane, a synthetic molecule which reproduces the characteristic smell of truffle. If it allows you to find this very recognizable taste at a lower cost, it obviously does not have the nutritional qualities of fresh mushrooms, naturally rich in fiber, minerals and antioxidants.
“This is not necessarily problematic from a regulatory point of view (at the doses authorized in food, truffle flavoring is not considered dangerous for health), but it means that the product is more of an aromatic construction than a raw food.“, specifies the expert.
Should you avoid truffled Boursin?
Even if it is not the most nutritionally interesting product, there is no need to completely ban it from your diet.
“It is an industrial “pleasure” cheese, relatively rich and processed, whose main interest is taste and not nutritional. In other words, we must keep in mind its place in the overall diet: it must remain occasional“, recalls the nutritionist.
In certain sensitive people, high consumption of ultra-processed products can also cause certain discomforts such as headaches, nausea or digestive problems.
To make the right choices on the shelves, it is better to take the time to read the labels. Several elements deserve particular attention:
- The actual percentage of truffle;
- The possible presence of the mention “natural truffle aroma”;
- As short a list of ingredients as possible.