NEWS

Prof. Paul Thomas (our Managing Director) has appeared on several TV programmes, radio shows and in many written articles. Specific areas of expertise include the biology, cultivation, hunting and cooking methods of the wide range of truffle species. If you would like an interview or require information for an article then please use our contact form and we would be very happy to help.

Below, our most recent news articles are displayed and our back-catalogue is open for browsing.

November 5, 2017

Farm Business Innovation Show – 8th & 9th November 2017 – Birmingham NEC

Farm Business Innovation Show – 8th & 9th November 2017 – Birmingham NEC This week we’ll be returning to Birmingham’s NEC for the Farm Business Innovation show. Following on from last year’s success Dr Paul Thomas will be delivering a seminar on both days of the show. Dr Thomas will be discussing the breakthrough we’ve had in cultivating the first black Perigord truffle in the UK, it’s the first time this has been done north of central France. The seminar will also cover truffle basics, truffle cultivation and the ‘business’ of truffles and due to the popularity we would recommend arriving as early as possible if you’d like to be seated.
September 7, 2017

Confor Woodland Show – 7th and 8th September 2017

We’re attending this year’s Confor Woodland Show in Longleat on both the 7th and 8th of September 2017. Our stand has moved position and differs from what is in the show guide and you can now find us at stand A2 – right near the entrance.
June 5, 2017

BBC Rip Off Britain – Preserved Truffles

Is there really truffle in truffle oil? Are preserved truffles any good? Recently we were asked to help investigate a possible case of food fraud for BBC 1 Rip Off Britain. Aired on the 5th of June 2017, the programme revolves around a jar of truffles preserved with oil that had a surprisingly odd aroma. The Rip Off Britain team sought Dr Paul Thomas’ help to test for truffle spores and truffle DNA.
March 13, 2017

DNA testing: Ensuring you get the truffle trees you expect (and pay for!)

The winter truffle season is coming to a close and we’re busy finishing our DNA testing on truffles that have been sent in. Shipments of the winter truffle (Tuber melanosporum) are sometimes contaminated with inferior asiatic species. At Mycorrhizal Systems we ensure that all truffles involved in the cultivation process are exactly what we expect them to be, which is why, unlike other suppliers, we can 100% guarantee our truffle trees are correctly inoculated and uncontaminated.
February 18, 2017

TED.com Ideas Blog – How to grow truffles using DNA technology

Following on from Sebastian Kraves’ TED talk that focused on the miniPCR DNA Discovery System that his team had developed and featuring how this technology was utilised by Dr Paul Thomas in our truffle cultivation processes, TED have featured Dr Thomas’ work in this area in their Ideas blog. The article delves deeper into how technology is enabling Mycorrhizal Systems to remain at the forefront of truffle cultivation technology.  
February 2, 2017

The Effect of Flooding on Summer Truffle (Tuber aestivum syn. uncinatum)

Late last year Dr Paul Thomas attend the 8th International Workshop on Edible Mycorrhizal Mushrooms (IWEMM8) in France and presented his findings from a study into the effect of flooding on the survival of the Summer Truffle (Tuber aestivum syn. uncinatum). The full report is yet to be published but the abstract to the study is available. If you would like to be notified when the full research paper is available then please subscribe to our newsletter by entering your email address on the form on our Home page.
January 18, 2017

Farmers Weekly – Truffles as an Ideal Crop for Farm Diversification

In the Farmers Weekly Christmas special edition Isabel Davies interviewed Dr Thomas and a current plantation owner, who is on track to start commercially harvesting this upcoming season, about the suitability of truffles as a crop for farm diversification. Truffles was one of four crops featured by Farmers Weekly as having great potential for diversification on UK and Irish farms.
December 11, 2016

TED Talks – DNA: the science behind growing truffles

In May, Sebastian Kraves, a molecular neurobiologist, was invited to give a TED Talk about the miniPCR DNA Discovery System that his team had developed. During his talk Sebastian discusses how Dr Paul Thomas has utilised this DNA coding technology to ensure that the truffle spores we work with are the genuine truffle species we require. This scientific approach to truffle cultivation is what makes Mycorrhizal Systems technological leaders in truffle culivation.  
December 10, 2016

New York Times – Can you farm truffles?

In November The New York Times ran a feature on our sister company, the Amercian Truffle Company and reported how Dr Thomas is influencing the American truffle industry.  
  • Samantha Ellis

    From guidance in orchard establishment, tree supply and management to our own truffle distribution network, we've got all angles covered

    Samantha Ellis
    Business Development
  • Dr Paul Thomas

    Thorough and scientific methodologies, attention to detail and having a committed partner at every step of the way, is the only reliable approach to truffle cultivation

    Dr Paul Thomas
    General Director
  • Daniel Paskin

    With our own genetics lab and research sites in 23 countries, we are truly world-leading in the field

    Daniel Paskin
    Nursery Manager
July 23, 2018

BBC Radio 4 On Your Farm – How to Farm Truffles

Ruth Sanderson meets a truffle farmer on the Isle of Bute, just off the west coast of southern Scotland. Truffle expert Dr Paul Thomas is planting the first truffle plantation on the island, in joint venture with sheep farmer Ian Dickson. Ruth helps to plant hazel trees which have been inoculated with the truffle fungus, and hears how they hope to reap a profitable harvest within at least six years.
July 23, 2018

Scottish Daily Mail – Scotland’s locally grown truffles in demand

The Scottish Daily Mail accompanied Dr Thomas to a truffle plantation near Edinburgh, one of our growing partner plantations now producing our native summer truffle. The article considers the secrecy around truffle growing, the future of the Scottish truffle industry, truffle dog training and hunting (sneak peak – you don’t need an expensive breed!) and the burgeoning demand for local produce.
January 3, 2018

Edinburgh Evening News – Burgundy truffles cultivated in Scotland for first time

One of the world’s most expensive ingredients has been cultivated near Edinburgh after a sever-year wait. Researchers from Mycorrhizal Systems Ltd teamed up with local farmers to cultivate the summer or burgundy truffle. This is the first time the ingredient has been successfully cultivated in Scotland. Researchers believe the potential to cultivate truffles is increasing as a result of climate change. Click through for the full article from Edinburgh Evening News reporter David Bol.
January 3, 2018

Scotland’s First Cultivated Truffles – another success for Mycorrhizal Systems

We  have successfully cultivated the summer or burgundy black truffle, one of the world’s most expensive ingredients, as part of our partnership programme just south of Edinburgh: the first time this has ever been achieved in Scotland. This latest development follows a recent report in the journal Climate Research, suggesting that truffle cultivation potential in the UK is increasing as a result of climate change. In November a number of truffles were harvested by a newly trained dog, Maxwell, on the root system of an inoculated oak tree and further microscopic analysis confirmed that Maxwells’s find was indeed a summer or burgundy truffle (Tuber aestivum syn. uncinatum). The site continued to produced throughout November and December confirming that the site was firmly in production.