Miracle fruit is a tropical plant native to West Africa that produces berries containing Miraculin, a substance that makes sour flavors taste sweet. It prefers moist, acidic soil and is not frost hardy. The plant is grown decoratively and for botanical collections, but attempts to extract the substance for commercial use have been unsuccessful.
Miracle fruit is an exotic tropical plant native to West Africa that produces red berries containing a substance that makes sour flavors like lemon and lime sweet. The evergreen plant is sometimes grown decoratively and is usually also featured in botanical collections due to its interesting properties. The miracle berry appears to lose its properties when stored or refrigerated, so the effects can only be enjoyed with berries fresh off the bush, although botanists are investigating ways to capture the substance in the fruit.
Miracle fruit can be grown in zones 10-11 and is not frost hardy at all. In areas where the temperature drops, the plant should be grown in a container so it can be moved indoors to a sunny spot near a window. It enjoys moist conditions and also prefers acidic soils, with a pH balance of 4.5 or higher. When grown well, the miracle fruit will grow to a height of about 12 feet (four meters) and have dark green evergreen leaves with those delicate flowers that are produced year round. The miracle fruit berry is small, usually about an inch (three centimeters) and dark red in color. The bush tends to grow densely and does not require pruning or training.
The Latin name for miracle fruit is Sideroxylon dulcificum, although it is also known as Synsepalum dulcificum daniell. In addition to growing in its native West Africa, it is also grown in parts of South America, Florida, Australia and Hawaii. The almost magical substance in the miracle fruit berries is called Miraculin and works to coat the taste buds on the tongue for about two hours after consumption. Any normally acidic food eaten while Miraculin is affecting the taste buds will taste sweet.
This curious property of the miraculous fruit berry has led botanists to try to extract the substance for commercial use. It is thought that it could be used to sweeten foods for diabetics or simply to provide an interesting flavor experience. So far, these attempts have been unsuccessful, and the plant is generally regarded as an ornamental curiosity, rather than a profitable one, although West Africans have used the berry to spice up their food for centuries. Pediatricians with access to the miracle fruit have also used the berries to mask the taste of acidic medicines for their patients.
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