History of miracle berry
Miracle Berry (Synsepalumdulcificum), is a plant native to West Africa that has been used for centuries by local tribes to sweeten generally acidic diets (sour foods and drinks). Miracle berries are well known throughout Ghana by various local names including: Asaa or Asawa (Akan); Taami (Ga) and Ledidi (Ewe).
The berry is treasured not for its own taste, but for the fruit's unique effect on the taste buds. By eating the fruit and swirling the pulp around their mouths, they discovered that their taste perceptions were temporarily modified, changing their normally sour foods to taste sweet. Apart from the berrys taste modifying effect on the tongue, the miracle berry fruits and its products are now known to be a natural sweetener, rich in vitamins and antioxidants and have no calories.
How miracle berry works
The miracle berry or its product contains a unique glycoprotein called miraculin that inhibits the tongues perception of sour flavors. When the miracle berry product is consumed, the miraculin in the berry binds to the taste buds on the tongue. The miraculin on a persons tongue then causes the sweet receptors on their taste buds to identify sour food or drink as sweet. For example; a lemon suddenly tastes like lemonade. Cheese tastes like frosting, and vinegar tastes like apple juice (The miraculin rewires the sweet receptors to temporarily identify acids as sugars). For up to an hour all bitter and sour flavors will be masked and everything consumed will taste sweet.
Target users of miracle berry