"Miracle fruit" turns sour things sweet

[Clintonista2]

CNN) -- The small fruit has the color of a cranberry, the shape of an almond and tastes like a flavorless gummy.


The "miracle fruit" makes acidic foods, such as lemons and grapefruits, sweet and candy-like.

But after chewing the fruit and rubbing the pulp against the tongue, the berry, known by a promising name -- "miracle fruit" or Synsepalum dulcificum -- releases a sweetening potency that alters the taste buds.

For about 15 to 30 minutes, everything sour is sweet.

Lemons lose their zing and taste like candy. Oranges become sickeningly sweet. Hot sauce that usually burns the tongue tastes like honey barbecue sauce that scorches as it trickles down the throat.

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About five months ago, a Miami, Florida, hospital began studying whether the fruit's sweetening effects can restore the appetite of cancer patients whose chemotherapy treatments have left them with dulled taste buds.

"What happens in patients is the food tastes so metallic and bland, it becomes repulsive," said Dr. Mike Cusnir, a lead researcher on the project and oncologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center. "Most of the patients undergoing chemotherapy have weight loss. Then they cut further into their diet and then this furthers the weight loss. It causes malnutrition, decreased function of the body and electrolyte imbalance."
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/03/25/miracle.berries.weightloss/index.html

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. hmm...

can it make lo-fat cottage cheese taste like ice cream? Maybe I could finally lose that 20 pounds! :toast:

[truedelphi]

3. Can I count on you to let me know? I'll join you in the cottage

Cheese slurp.

There's twenty pounds around here that could use some losi'

[angstlessk]

4. I fricking LOVE 4% cottage cheese small curd...honey...cottage cheese

is heaven in a round container...get it?

[soothsayer]

9. any cottage cheese and pineapple is a total winner for me

[soothsayer]

10. any cottage cheese and pineapple is a total winner for me

[baldguy]

2. Send a a few tons of it to Ann Coulter

or Dick Cheney

[Salviati]

7. I don't think it would help cheney too much... that smirk could curdle water...

[spoony]

5. Wow!

It sounds like this could help people in a lot of different ways. I hope it doesn't become a commodity that people have to pay much for, as the article seems to hint at. We all know what happens when corporations find out something that was once free or low cost is useful and can be sold.

[beac]

6. Interesting. Thanks for posting! n/t

[noamnety]

8. Some history

"An attempt was made in the 1970s to commercialize the ability of the fruit to turn non-sweet foods into sweet foods without a caloric penalty, but ended in failure in controversial circumstances with accusations that the project was sabotaged and the research burgled by the sugar industry to prevent loss of business caused by a drop in the need for sugar.<8> The FDA has always denied that pressure was put on it by the sugar industry, but refused to release any files on the subject.<9> Similar arguments are noted for FDA's regulation on stevia now labeled as a "dietary supplement" instead of a "sweetener"."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miracle_fruit

The links from there lead to some interesting articles: http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/31585,features,sweet-and-sour-tale-of-the-miracle-berry,2

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Intriguing!

[soothsayer]

11. I totally want to try this! Can you get it anywhere?