Miracle Berry!

[afroakuma]

Anyone had it? Liked it? Hated it? What was it like?

[arguskos]

This is the fruit that, when eaten, changes the taste of sour stuff to sweet, right? If so, I DOES WANT!! It seems too damn cool to be true! :smallbiggrin:

[Ego Slayer]

Oh, god... first thing I thought of. I'm a bad person. :P

http://chuckels2000.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/1stedngenmircleberry.jpg

[afroakuma]

That's the one!

And yeah, it really does sound too awesome to be true.

[The Rose Dragon]

Oh, god... first thing I thought of. I'm a bad person. :P

http://chuckels2000.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/1stedngenmircleberry.jpg

Same here.

Well, almost. I thought "Was there such a berry in Pokemon Emerald?".

[Thufir]

I was wondering if it was a druid spell in D&D (I don't think it is, btw, if you're wondering).

Given these thoughts, I feel the OP would be well advised to put an explanation of what he's talking about into his first post...

[afroakuma]

Well, considering the very second post explained it...

It's this fruit that, when eaten, is supposed to impart a sweet flavor to anything else you eat for the next 15-30 minutes, no matter how bitter or sour it would be.

[Jack Squat]

It's supposedly gummy and tasteless itself...so like haribo.

If I ever come across one, I'm definetly going to give it a run for its money.

I wonder how fast I could down a bottle of hot-sauce.

[thubby]

how is this thing not in every drug store EVER?
can you imagine the headaches you'd save parents if they could make that crappy antibiotic taste 1/2 decent?

[afroakuma]

I wonder how fast I could down a bottle of hot-sauce.

Word is that it still burns, according to the article I read today.

It just tastes awesome while it burns. :smallwink:


how is this thing not in every drug store EVER?

Word is the American FDA categorized it as a "dietary supplement" instead of a sweetener and refuses to release the documentation on the decision. The regulatory sanctions prevent it from being broadly marketed in the US.


can you imagine the headaches you'd save parents if they could make that crappy antibiotic taste 1/2 decent?

Oddly, medical use is one of its preeminent research goals - for chemotherapy patients who experience a strong metallic taste with foods, the miracle fruit eliminates it.

And, of course, it would greatly facilitate dieting if one could eat cucumber instead of ice cream. :smallsmile:

[Pandaren]

It's supposedly gummy and tasteless itself...so like haribo.

If I ever come across one, I'm definetly going to give it a run for its money.

I wonder how fast I could down a bottle of hot-sauce.

Still burn on its way out.

[Jack Squat]

Word is that it still burns, according to the article I read today.

It just tastes awesome while it burns. :smallwink:

I can deal with that...I'm not bothered as much by heat as I am the taste of the sauce itself. It'd still probably suck, but hey, if I can get money from bets...

[RTGoodman]

how is this thing not in every drug store EVER?
can you imagine the headaches you'd save parents if they could make that crappy antibiotic taste 1/2 decent?

Pharmacies (or, at least, a few of the big chains) already sell flavor additives for your medicine, and can charge whatever they want for them. Selling these Miracle Berries would cost them money, probably.

Also


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.

Yeah - there's a conspiracy theory that the SUGAR INDUSTRY sabotaged the Miracle Berry industry. :smalleek:

[Kneenibble]

Well hey, the Food & Drug Administration suppresses the marketing and availability of Stevia on very dubious grounds, which poses a comparable threat to the sugar industry. The suspicions are not entirely without substance, sir. Sugar is big money.

That being said, you still couldn't turn a cucumber into ice cream... I know you're just being cute, afroakuma, but it only changes the perception of sweetness, not mouth-feel or actual flavour. Also, the protein responsible for this change is denatured by heat, so it couldn't be used as a sweetener in baking. Its action depends on actual immediate contact with the taste buds. Its uses are practically limited -- even if it is cool.

[afroakuma]

Well hey, the Food & Drug Administration suppresses the marketing and availability of Stevia on very dubious grounds, which poses a comparable threat to the sugar industry. The suspicions are not entirely without substance, sir. Sugar is big money.

Indeed. In fact, the stevia case is listed in that same article as a similar incident.


That being said, you still couldn't turn a cucumber into ice cream... I know you're just being cute, afroakuma, but it only changes the perception of sweetness, not mouth-feel or actual flavour.

Cold, crisp sweetness is something I don't have a problem with. :smallbiggrin:

But hey, maybe a bad example. Limes into... key lime pie? As my OP suggests, I've never tried it and I'm curious to hear others' experiences.


Also, the protein responsible for this change is denatured by heat, so it couldn't be used as a sweetener in baking. Its action depends on actual immediate contact with the taste buds. Its uses are practically limited -- even if it is cool.

I could think of a few, but then again, if the sugar industry feels threatened enough by an unbakeable sweetener, then... there have to be possibilities. :smallamused:

[Alteran]

I've only ever heard of these as Miracle Berry Fruit Tablets (http://www.thinkgeek.com/caffeine/wacky-candy/ab3f/), I didn't realize there was actually a single berry that they were made from. I've been curious since I heard about them, but I'm not willing to buy them from that store before I have enough things I want to justify the shipping costs.

I am also curious to hear of others' experiences with them.

[neoseph7]

Not just the sugar industry, but also corn, which is similarly a big industry, in the States at least. And I've had stevia. It isn't that impressive a sweetner. The sweetness factor feels off from sugar, and reminded me of taking Equal straight.
While were discussing things that make the rest of the meal taste sweet, artichoke has the same property, but the effect is more subtle. It goes well as the first part of the meal, and makes certain wines and dark chocolate dishes taste better.
Finally, I must ask, where can I find this miracle berry? I love to cook, and I must experiment with something so interesting.

[afroakuma]

Not just the sugar industry, but also corn, which is similarly a big industry, in the States at least. And I've had stevia. It isn't that impressive a sweetner. The sweetness factor feels off from sugar, and reminded me of taking Equal straight.

Oh, alone it's nothing fancy, but apparently it's detectable as sweetness at a much lower concentration than a similar sweetness of sugar would be. Cue collapse of junk industry.


Finally, I must ask, where can I find this miracle berry? I love to cook, and I must experiment with something so interesting.

Technically, it's "miracle fruit." Alteran posted a link to the tablets, and I'm sure a quick web search will lead you to a store where you can buy the fruit itself. I doubt you can purchase them locally.

[Kyouhen]

These things sound awesome! I wonder if Canada has similar regulations making it hard to get...

[Coidzor]

Oh, god... first thing I thought of. I'm a bad person.

Yes. Yes you are.

Miracle Berry could've changed the world. Then Big Sugar caught wind of it. :smallfrown:

[TheSummoner]

I must have one of these... please, someone, tell me where I can buy this!

[charl]

I've had it. It's real fun. You swirl it around in your mouth for a while, it tastes a bit like artificial raspberry flavoured candy, and then for another hour or so you can eat raw lemons and limes and it tastes like sugar. Nice stuff.

[Felixaar]

And, of course, it would greatly facilitate dieting if one could eat cucumber instead of ice cream. :smallsmile:

Ah, but the love of Ice Cream is also in the texture, my friend.

Also: interesting, but not... amazing. I'm more into the texture of foods, not the taste, so... meh.

[Thufir]

I've had it. It's real fun. You swirl it around in your mouth for a while, it tastes a bit like artificial raspberry flavoured candy, and then for another hour or so you can eat raw lemons and limes and it tastes like sugar. Nice stuff.

You mean you don't eat lemons and limes anyway? Strange person...

[charl]

Not raw! Sure, lime or lemon juice in salads and stuff, and wedges in drinks or on fish, bot not take a bite of lemon or lime flesh and chew it down. That would be horrible.

[afroakuma]

These things sound awesome! I wonder if Canada has similar regulations making it hard to get...

I hope not. I haven't found any in specialty stores around here, so I'm going to check Canadian law and see if I can import some tablets.

Regarding stevia: it's all in the preparation, really, but I note that it really has the stink of conspiracy around it - the history virtually screams torpedoes by Big Sugar and the artificial sweetener industry. And I know some people find it very sweet indeed.

Similarly, xylitol (a lower-calorie sweetener based out of Finland) has 40% of sugar's calories, doesn't contribute to high blood sugar levels, is not only tooth-friendly, but apparently chases plaque-casing bacteria around with a baseball bat and a sword. Also, it's got a list of healthful benefits as long as your virtual arm. For some reason, though, when used in candy and gum over here, it's always in trace amounts, overwhelmed by Ace-K, aspartame, sucralose and all those fun but lousy artificial sweeteners.

[Anuan]

Oh, god... first thing I thought of. I'm a bad person. :P

http://chuckels2000.tripod.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/1stedngenmircleberry.jpg

Oh god I think I love you now.

For those that have asked where to buy it; www.thinkgeek.com