Tantalize Your Tongue with Miracle Fruit: Flavor-altering Fruit: Synsepalum Dulcificum

There's a fruit commonly known as Miracle Fruit that's making the party scene in cities across the US, and probably elsewhere, too. It's been around for a while, but has recently picked up in popularity. The basic premise of this fruit, Synsepalum dulcificum, is that it contains a protein called miraculin that has the ability to bind to certain taste buds on the tongue. When the miraculin comes in contact with an acid, such as lemon juice, the taste bud perceives it as sweet instead of sour.

The Miracle Fruit is a red colored berry about the size of a kidney bean. They originate in West Africa, but can be grown outside of Africa as well. It's become a trend to attend Miracle Fruit parties. The party goers take a berry in their mouth and scrape off the red rind with their teeth, hold the rind in their mouths for about a minute and then begin sampling other foods. People have reported drinking beer that, being under the influence of the Miracle Fruit, suddenly tastes sweet or chocolaty. Hot sauce will taste sweet.

Although the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, wouldn't approve the protein miraculin as a sugar substitute, people still manage to enjoy its effects. Scientists have not found anything harmful in the Miracle Fruit, so those who like to play with the altered taste sensations are apparently free to do so without fear of ill effects.

Now for the possible side effects. While the berry apparently isn't harmful, the effects can last for an hour or more and if someone who has had the Miracle Fruit eats food that is already sweet, the sweetness will be amplified even more, making it sickly sweet. A bartender noticed that it also alters the taste of wine so that even a fine wine will taste cheap and bad.

In addition to trying to grow the Miracle Fruit yourself, there are commercial growers who will provide the berries, for a price. Single berries can sell for two dollars or more each. Just like other berries, the Miracle Fruit won't last too long, so it's best to keep them frozen or in the refrigerator. Sellers can ship them frozen so they won't lose their effectiveness too soon.

If you're the adventurous type, you'll probably want to try a tasting party, but with anything else, you should always exercise caution before trying something new. Some people might not like the sensation or altered tastes and while no allergies have been reported, there's always a possibility that something in the berry might not agree with someone.