Sklerotia , truflles Atlantis question

[LucidShroomDmtier]

I got truflles 8 months ago they were kept in airless bag , what can hapen to me if i eat them , whether they be effective or make me sick

 

[Achten]

dried trufles, no problem.
were the truffles wet when they went into the bag ? I wouldn't risk it. But if they are damaged, it should be visible. If they look fine you can try eating a gram or 2 just to check.

 

[Ismene]

If you dried them out they'll be fine - if you didn't, it's anybodys guess really. I probably wouldn't eat them unless I was very desperate.

Maybe dry them out before you eat them- that might kill some of the bacteria.

 

[Solipsis]

At what temperature were they kept?

I definitely wouldn't eat them if they were even a little wet when you stored them, wetness would basically make them "fresh" and when they are not too cold they would be in a living state. (By the way: some or a lot of such fungi can be dried - IIRC leaving at least 5% of the water tho - and rehydrated without this process damaging the fungus to the point of death, this is quite special!

Fresh mushrooms can be kept in the fridge for only about a week because as soon as they become too weak to dominate over other fungi and bacteria present ... anarchy and chaos break out and everything will try to germinate and eat each other's tissues i.e. you would see rotting. Even before the mushrooms die they get overrun as if gangrenous.
Sclerotia are a bit different, they contain much less water and are cordoned off, designed to remain viable in nature a bit more long-term so that they can stay put and wait on better times. However 8 months is a long time and other fungi or bacteria if aggressive enough could colonize and taint them. Some of them produce toxins that are pretty horrible. Kinds that you might find on spoiled bread can be particularly nasty and botulinium can be deadly for example. Attempts to kill the bacteria by heating or drying may be a fair effort but even when dead I think they could still contain the endotoxins they produced earlier.

If you happened to have refrigerated or even frozen them during all this time there is a chance, but even then it is likely too late. Read this actual off-site FAQ info:

[truffles got] vacuum sealed with a technique that is also used in the food industry. This is why [they] are kept fresh for as long as possible.
Please note: Truffels are a living organism. Like your other vegetables, they won't stay fresh forever. The sooner you consume, the better the taste and the effect will be.
Keep your magic truffles in a cool environment, preferably in the fridge. When the magic truffles are kept cool you can keep them for 3 months. After 3 months have expired the freshness of the product can no longer be guaranteed. The truffles can be frozen, which extends the expiration date of the product. Frozen truffles stay fresh for at least 6 months. Once the magic truffles are thawed you must consume the product within 1 or 2 days