Synsepalum Dulcificum (Miracle Berry) | Hacker News Reader

Synsepalum Dulcificum (Miracle Berry)

en.wikipedia.org

21 pointselsewhen11 comments

> This effect is due to miraculin.

Miraculin. If I didn't know better after reading the Wiki article, I'd thought it's some kind of super-material like unobtainium, or a broadly applicable drug like inaprovaline.

A friend of mine makes a product[0] based on Miraculin, a sort of a sweetener. I've tried it some time ago and the effect was completely unexpected. Everything becomes sweet beyond your wildest imaginations. Stuff that is acidic and sweet like oranges and mandarines are cranked up to 11, sorry no, 21. It felt like seeing an impossible color, but from a taste perspective. Make of that what you want.

[0]: https://mywozi.com/

I bought one of these plants, and while the berry is far more effective than the tablet, it's definitely not worth maintaining a whole ass tree. 100% worth trying, either way

I've eaten one of these and then bit into a lemon slice. No sour taste, only intense sweetness. It was from a plant growing at a nursery near Weston, Florida.

I'm always a bit amazed products from this aren't more widespread. If the cost was lower (costs about $1-$2 a tablet now) I think I'd use them every day.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/7367548.stm

You’d use them everyday? Why? I thought it was just a novelty.

I think the taste is really that good. I especially like them with fruit and drinks, and if the cost was say $0.10 I wouldn't think twice about using them daily for lunch or snacks.

We don't sense acids in our food to make us look for sweet food. We sense acids because acidic food can damage our teeth, our mouths, our stomachs, etc (when eaten in excess).

From the article:

> "You can eat a berry and then bite into a lemon," says Harvey. "It becomes not only sweeter, but it will be the best lemon you've tasted in your life."

If you eat a miracle berry and then snack on a whole bunch of lemon slices, they may not taste sour, but you will regret it in all kinds of ways.

Also... miracle berry + lemon doesn't actually taste particularly good. There are "sweet lemons" and "sweet limes" (low acid varieties), and they're not popular because they're bland.

https://mywozi.com/

The article says that the berry has "a mildly sweet tang". Does that mean without the miraculin it would taste sour? Presumably this has evolved to make the berry more palatable to mammals.

There is currently a small exhibit at the San Diego WNDR Museum where you can try this berry’s effect. I highly recommend the museum, applied tech and science is best experienced first-hand.

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