Miracle Fruit - Adds Zing to the Sourest of Foods

The Miracle fruit that is botanically known as Synsepalum dulcificum is an incredible addition to your daily diet to make the unsavory foods palatable. The discovery of this amazing fruit with miraculous properties can be traced back to the 18th century in Ghana and Cameroon and later this miracle berry was brought into Europe. It is only recently that it is being commercialized as flavor-tripping additive that is eaten in the form of miracle fruit tablets or freeze-dried granules. The tablet form is preferred the most than the natural miracle berry since its shelf life is increased manifold.

The berry rewires the way the sour food tastes and enhances its sweetness wherein foods like lemon would taste like candy. It is not a sweetener in itself since it has no taste of its own. It is the active protein contained in the miracle berry which is referred to as miraculin that effectively curbs the acid and bitter flavors of foods thus accentuating the taste buds in the mouth. It nullifies the strong bitter taste that comes from either the acid or any other agent in foods that are too tangy and brings out the sweetness which is hidden in the foods in the form of natural sugars. Hence there is nothing artificial or superficial about these miracle berries.

Linda Bartoshuk is the scientist at the University of Florida who has done extensive research on these miracle berries and concluded that there are no dangers associated with the consumption of the miracle fruit. The berry is known to have its effects last in the taste buds for about 30 to 90 minutes. It is characterized with a nice pinkish red outer skin with a pulpy interior that has no characteristic taste of its own and this pulp surrounds an edible but bitter seed. The miracle fruit as well as the tablets can be sold as a dietary supplement but not as a sweetener in the U.S. but is accepted in Japan as a harmless additive. Thanks to the Japanese scientists, compressed freeze dried miracle fruit tablets are introduced in the market that lasts for about 12 months. In the UK, freeze dried granules are produced in Ghana and is being marketed.

The miracle fruit does miraculous changes to people who lose their appetite due to various reasons. For instance, cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy treatments are left with ruined taste buds. These patients already undergo a lot of weight loss due to the treatment and to make it worse food starts tasting metallic and bland to these people causing further loss of weight. Thus this causes malnutrition and subsequent electrolyte imbalance in the body. Miracle fruit in the form of fruits or miracle fruit tablets have proved to be a boon to these patients and has improved their tasting abilities and thus helps them to maintain a healthy body weight on account of the enhanced appetite.

Miracle Fruit - Adds Zing to the Sourest of Foods