Hacker News Reader

Comment by SapporoChris | Hacker News Reader

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle_oil

I sincerely doubt that any marketed truffle oil is based on petroleum. Perhaps the method of cooking influenced the taste?

View on HN

You’re missing the point. There are two ways to make truffle oil.

1. Put real truffles in some kind of oil (olive, canola, etc)

2. Put synthetic truffle flavor (commonly derived from petroleum) in oil

The point of this article is that most of what you buy and are served is #2 marketed as #1.

> I sincerely doubt that any marketed truffle oil is based on petroleum.

It's explained right there in the wikipedia article you link to.

Petroleum is not mentioned anywhere in that article. It does say that truffle oil may be based on any kind of oil.

Maybe not directly mentioned, but a linked article says "2,4-Dithiapentane is the dimethyldithioacetal of formaldehyde. It is prepared by the acid-catalyzed condensation of methyl mercaptan, the main aromatic compound in both halitosis and foot odor and a secondary compound in flatulence,[1] with formaldehyde."

not great!

It's also an aromatic component in cheese and in real truffles. This is a misrepresentation of the facts on the same level as "dihydrogen monoxide makes up the majority of urine, industrial detergent, antifreeze, human sweat, and pus."

That still has nothing to do with petroleum.

Is this your reference? "Truffle oil can be produced using any oil. Common versions use olive oil, or a more neutral flavorless oil such as canola or grapeseed oil."

Now tell me, why would a petroleum product be used with it's foul smell, when olive oil, canola, and grapeseed oil are available?

More to the point, can anyone find a truffle oil where a petroleum product is listed in the ingredients?

>Now tell me, why would a petroleum product be used with it's foul smell, when olive oil, canola, and grapeseed oil are available?

They put the petroleum product into the other oils. Don't they?

Yes, petroleum products are put into other oils for a variety of reasons. Do you have any evidence this occurring with truffle oil?

You’re missing the point - that the truffle flavour is derived from petroleum. It’s not about the oil component, which as you say is a normal food oil.

The idea is: fake truffle oil is some olive/rapeseed oil with a bit of 2,4-dithiapentane added to it. I don’t know to what extent this flavouring is actually petroleum-derived, but the point is that it’s not actual truffle.

It mentions the flavor is produced by “one synthetic compound”, and then links to articles on 2,4-dithiapentane which is generally derived from petroleum, though it can be derived from other compounds.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com