Do You Believe in Magic?

With Halloween quickly approaching, it’s time to reevaluate whether or not there’s magic in the air. Some people may wait by their mailboxes for a Hogwarts acceptance letter. Others may go on haunted tours and wait to see the supernatural. Even fewer may order some fruit online. Not just any fruit, though, magic fruit.

It's a Miracle!

Image source: Flickr. 3Point141

The fruit in question is Synsepalum dulcificum, a berry more commonly known as the miracle fruit. While this berry will not enable you to fly, it still has a little bit of a special kick. If you eat this berry, then everything and anything sour will taste just like candy for a limited period of time. Lemons taste like ice cream, Tabasco sauce like a sweet glaze, and (for those with a refined palate) oysters like bubblegum. This berry has gotten so popular in some cities that people have started throwing “flavor-tripping parties” to try out its magical effects.

Sour = Sweet?

Image Source: Nature. 

The miracle fruit, sadly, does not work because of magic. Instead, it converts that lip-puckering sour taste into a sweet flavor with the help of a protein known as miraculin. The miracle fruit has an abundant supply of miraculin, which binds to special receptors in taste buds on the human tongue. These receptors normally distinguish different tastes, such as sweet and sour. When miraculin is present, though, the “sweet” receptors begin to recognize sour signals as sweet. This makes the tongue think food like lemons are actually dessert, triggering those sweet taste signals.  Not everything tastes like cake, though, since miraculin only works when it is in an acidic (or sour) environment. 

Holiday Bargains

Image Source: Flickr. dadadreams

The main question after hearing about the miracle fruit is simple: where to buy it? The average cost is around $2 for a single berry, which will provide an hour of expectation-defying taste. Of course, that's only for the fresh fruit. Synsepalum dulcificum also comes in tablet form. A pack of these pills can cost up to $15, but at least they have a much longer expiration date than the real fruit. There are dozens of online providers for both forms of the berry, so it's pretty feasible to obtain. 

I've been waiting for that letter from an owl for 9 years, so I might just get a berry to experience the magic of science in the meantime.