What are Miracle Berries?Miracle berries, or Synsepalum dulcificum, are berries found in West Africa that alter the way you perceive acidity in foods. Somehow, the berries block the taste receptors you have for acid, making sour foods taste sweet. Scientists aren't exactly sure how the berries work, but perhaps someone in our neuroscience class will figure out one day. The Miracle Berry ExperienceDr. Shingleton gave us the berries in tablet form. We let them sit on our tongues for about ten minutes to dissolve completely and then tried out the variety of foods Dr. Shingleton prepared for us. Lemons, limes, grapefruit juice, apple cider vinegar, salt and vinegar chips, Sriracha, pineapple, grapes, and sour gummy bears were the foods that we sampled. My favorite food by far was the pineapple. I'm already a big fan of pineapple, but the miracle berry tablets heightened the flavor and took it to another level. Lemons and limes were my second favorite as they tasted just like candy, Meanwhile, the apple cider vinegar tasted like spoiled chocolate milk. Near the end of the taste tasting, I ate half a lemon to cap off the miracle berry experience. While it tasted good at the time, the acidity from the lemon made my stomach feel pretty bad for the rest of the day. Questions I have about Miracle BerriesWas there a chemical reaction between the acids and the miracle berry?
Is some of the effect of the berry due to a placebo? Could miracle berries be used as an artificial sweetener in foods?
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AuthorAllan Kalapura. Holland Hall class of 2019. Archives
November 2018
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