Magic tomatoes!
(This is a tomato.) The magic berry, otherwise known as the miracle fruit is as a glamorous charm for the gustatory senses. This average looking plant, with it's minuscule size and plain looking leaves seems like nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until you taste any sour item after and feel the taste transformed into the sweetest of the sweet. Mostly grown in Asia, with it's origins are from South America. Scientists have long discovered the protein at play here, naming it Miraculin, after it's seemingly miraculous properties. Inglett (1965) and his team of chemists, working in the International Minerals and Chemicals Corp. isolated the protein and published their findings in the Food Chemistry Journal. Scientific interest grew in the fruit and it's ability until a few decades later, when a certain pharmaceutical company tried and failed to get it through the FDA. When it was classified as a food additive and required more stringent screening, the support was largely dropped. This is unfortunate regarding what potential the magic fruit could have provided. We've not just talking about flavor parties here or sweeter beers. Although, those are important. We're also talking about the possibility for those afflicted with diabetes to taste sweet foods again without having to deal with the metallic aftertastes commonly associated with artificial sweeteners. Cancer patients, those with high blood sugar, and literally anyone who may have an aversion to sugar and it's natural properties may find some relief with the miracle fruit. Alas, if we want to get some of it, it will have to be by either ordering them online or growing them ourselves. not to mention that the fruit doesn't hold very well and naturally perishes after 1-2 days. If only there was some way that we could do to solve this! Except that recently, scientist just have. By isolating the gene creating the protein for miraculin, scientists have been able to transplant it into tomatoes. Genetic modification has allowed the production of sweet altering, miracle tomatoes! Technically the tomato is a berry-type fruit so we could still call it miracle berry. however, this allows many people more familiar and comfortable with the red fruit to enjoy the benefits of the original. Not to mention, it could make food preparation a lot easier as well. Instead of having to grind berries into a mashy pulp or pulverize some miraculin tablets, you can simply add tomatoes as usual. Pizza with beer never sounded more perfect or tasted any sweeter. Sourced from: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf60139a026 http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/fl/Miracle- Fruit.htm Inglett, G.E., Dowling, B., Albrecht, J.J., Hoglan, F.A. (1965) Taste Modifiers, Taste-Modifying Proerties of Miracle Fruit (Synsepalum Dulcificum) j.Agric. Food Chem. 13, 284-287 -Justin Jabines
