Miracle Fruit

Synsepalum dulcificum, better known as the miracle berry, comes from a plant grown naturally in Ghana, Africa.  When placed on the tongue, the fruit has the ability to turn a sour or bitter taste to sweet.  This reaction occurs when a protein known as miraculin binds to flavor receptors on the tongue.

In a sense, the berry rewires your taste buds, presenting an unexpected eating experience.  Imagine eating a whole lemon, peel included, and tasting a freshly squeezed glass of sweet lemonade.  Better yet, you can put the berry to the test with spicy hot peppers and have them turn into candied jalapenos.

Scientists have created miracle berry pill tablets, which Mackensy Lunsford of Citizen-Times describes as tasting like sawdust with a hint of dried fruit.  In herarticle about miracle berries, she describes her experience with them at a dinner party where they sampled foods like goat cheese and sour cream to taste the effects of the berry.

 Photo courtesy of molecularrecipes.com.

Medical Mission

Other than hosting entertaining food parties, the miracle berry tablet could have practical use in the field of medicine.  Christopher Aquilino, the executive chef at Mission Hospitals, notes the berry can enhance the appetites of some patients and even help cancer patients who suffer from a diminished ability to taste when undergoing chemotherapy.

“Without the proper diet, the patient will never get fully well, never get fully healed,” he states. “The idea of preference or taste stopping people from going down that road when they’re sick is something that we want to remove.”  Aquilino hopes the berry will encourage people to try foods they normally wouldn’t consider, thus offering an appetizing flavor to sometimes bitter fruits or vegetables.

Have you heard of the miracle berry?  What do you think about its possible uses in medicine and healthcare?  What foods would you like to sample with the effects of the berry? Share your thoughts below.

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States (FEMA) was founded in 1909 and is the national association of the U.S. flavor industry.  FEMA’s membership is comprised of flavor manufacturers, flavor users, flavor ingredient suppliers, and others with an interest in the U.S. flavor industry.  The association is committed to ensuring a safe supply of flavor ingredients used in foods and beverages enjoyed by billions of men, women, and children around the world.