Truffles: tasty, fragrant and good for the skin

Sararat Buara does research on extracting elements of Tuber magnatum pico (the white truffle) for Eosra, a company that manufactures and distributes skincare products containing the extract.
“Truffles can be as expensive as gold due to their rarity,” he says. “They are mostly found in the lush forests of Italy, France, Croatia and Poland, growing anywhere from five to 20 centimetres underground among the roots of large trees such as oak. Truffle hunters used to rely on pigs to sniff them out where they grew, but now dogs are more commonly trained for the purpose. 
“There are two kinds – the black truffle and the white truffle. The black variety is farmed in limited quantities, but there’s no way to cultivate white truffles, so they still have to be found in nature. That and their popularity – because they’re more aromatic – result in higher prices. Good-quality white truffles can bring Bt300,000 per kilogram.
“White truffles also have a delicate flavour and are packed with nutrition, but not many people know about their skincare potential, which includes multiple anti-ageing effects. 
“They have skin-nourishing components such as antioxidants, which help retard cell deterioration and protect the skin from pollution. They have matrix metalloproteinases that help the body produce protein and amino acid, which are important in the process of creating collagen and elastin,and extracellular matrix proteins that give the skin its elasticity and help reduce fine lines. Aquaporins help preserve moisture and are gentle to the sensitive skin around the eyes, while working to lessen visible lines there. 
“So we’ve developed a Tuber Magnatum Extract in our facial cleansers and serums that’s been tested and backed up by the Phenbiox Institute in Italy,” Sararat says.
Check out the Eorsa product line at Eveandboy shops and the “eosra.official” Facebook page.