Miracle fruit, miracle berry or sometimes even known as the miraculous berry, is an evergreen shrub belonging to the Sapotaceae family.
Synsepalum dulcificum is its botanical name and its roots were first planted in West Africa where its culinary usage dates back to at least the 18th century. There, it goes by the names tammi, asaa or ledidi and its fruit pulp is locally utilised to sweeten palm wine and other beverages. All of the miracle fruit plant’s parts, especially its leaves, are crucial to traditional medicine in various African nations.
Following the end of the wet season, the plants generate two crops every year and begin to bear fruit after growing for around 3–4 years. Small, red berries are produced by this evergreen plant together with white blooms during several months of the year.
The plant thrives in conditions without frost, partial shade, high humidity, and soils with pH levels between 4.5 and 5.8. It can withstand dry conditions, direct sunlight, and slopes.
Miracle for a reason
Its name has a convincing explanation: after being consumed, the berry transforms sour items (such lemons, vinegar, pickles, and limes) that are eaten subsequently, take on a sweet flavour. This miraculous property to alter flavour is essentially a fruit mechanism brought on by a glycoprotein known as miraculin.
This molecule bonds to the taste buds of the tongue when the fruit’s flesh is consumed, making sour things taste sweet. The duration of the impact is usually between a half hour and two hours or until they’re diluted by saliva, with a gradual loss in intensity.
Miracle fruit is a fantastic source of vitamins C, K, A, and E and is stuffed with amino acids that help control a number of body processes. Miraculin, the essential component of the fruit’s ability to conceal sour flavours, makes it the ideal low-calorie alternative to sugar. Because of their low-calorie content and simple carb and sugar content, these fruits can also be utilised in weight-management products and as natural sugar-free additives.
These fruits are an effective way to enhance immunity since they are a good source of vitamin C, an essential ingredient that helps the body fight off bacterial and viral illnesses by stimulating the creation of white blood cells.
Its orange-red tint that can be utilised as a food colouring in carbonated drinks and sugar solutions.
Therapeutic benefits
This miracle berry might also aid chemotherapy patients in regaining their taste buds.The taste-altering abilities of miraculin can be used to transform the taste of food into sweetness. As a result, it might motivate the patient to eat more, giving them the nutrition, they need.
Despite having a wide range of therapeutic benefits, the miracle fruit should be ingested with some caution. This fruit has the potential to change the pH equilibrium and result in excessive blood acidity. If used frequently, it may also result in digestive disorders, and other issues with the gut.
The seeds are about the size of coffee beans and should not be swallowed because of their bitter flavour. They are not widely available in India, however these fresh berries can be purchased in dried form or as a flavouring.
The berry is on the EU’s list of novel foods, and before it can be sold as food or used as a food additive, a safety review is required. The Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare has also recognised miraculin as a food additive, although its usage has not been authorised in the US.
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