The aroma ladder on a truffle label
Published on 14 September 2026
The aroma designation on a truffle product explains where the scent comes from. The European Flavouring Regulation establishes which words a producer may use for this purpose. With aroma naturale di tartufo, natural truffle aroma, at least 95% of the aroma comes from truffle.
The three designations
In the ingredient list of a truffle product, you will usually find one of these three formulations. They are listed here from general to specific.
| On the label | What it means |
|---|---|
aroma · aroma
|
The general designation. The source of the aroma is not stated |
natural aroma · aroma naturale
|
The aroma is of natural origin. The raw material is not mentioned |
natural truffle aroma · aroma naturale di tartufo
|
At least 95% of the aroma has been extracted from truffle |
How the 95% rule works
If a producer mentions the raw material in the designation, i.e., "truffle" instead of just "natural," then at least 95 weight percent of the aroma must come from that raw material. If the aroma comes partly from truffle and partly from other natural sources, the designation is, for example, "natural truffle aroma with other natural aromas."
According to the regulation, a natural aroma without a specified raw material may be extracted from vegetable, animal, or microbiological material. The word "natural" therefore indicates the origin of the substance. Which raw material it is can only be read in the third designation.
What else you will find on the label
The aroma designation concerns the aroma. What kind of truffle is in the product is stated in other parts of the label: the species in the Latin name, the amount in the percentage near the ingredients, and the harvest in the harvest month.
These details complement each other. Aroma from summer truffle and aroma from white truffle fall under the same designation, while the species differ greatly in scent and season. You can read exactly how in white truffle, black winter truffle and summer truffle and autumn truffle.
How to read the label
Look at the ingredient list. The designation appears there in the legal wording; on French labels, the highest tier is arôme naturel de truffe. If you find aroma naturale di tartufo, the scent largely comes from truffle. If there is no aroma in the list, the scent comes from the ingredients themselves.
For every product in our shop, we copy the designation literally from the label, alongside the species with its Latin name, the percentage of truffle, and the harvest month.