Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach.) Daniell

Description:

Jeniang, Kedah, Malaysia.Synsepalum dulcificum (Schumach.) Daniell. Sapotaceae. CN: [Buah ajaib], Miracle-fruit, Miraculous-berry, Sweet berry. Native to west-central and central tropical Africa; elsewhere cultivated. The plant is a shrub that grows up to ca 6.1 m high in its native habitat, but does not usually grow higher than 8 m in cultivation. Its leaves are 5-10 cm long, 2-3.7 cm wide and glabrous below. They are clustered at the ends of the branchlets. The flowers are brown. It carries red, 2 cm long fruits. Each fruit contains one seed. Fruits contain miraculin, which is used commercially as a sugar substitute. Miraulin itself is not sugar but distort the taste buds by binding to the tongue's taste buds, causing sour foods to taste sweet. While the exact cause for this change is unknown, one theory is that miraculin works by distorting the shape of sweetness receptors "so that they become responsive to acids, instead of sugar and other sweet things". This effect lasts until the protein is washed away by saliva (up to about 60 minutes and longer). Maximum sweet-induced response has been shown to be equivalent to the sweetness of 17% sucrose solution. While miraculin changes the perception of taste, it does not change the food's chemistry, leaving the mouth and stomach vulnerable to the high acidity of some foods, such as lemon juice, that may cause irritation if eaten in large quantities. Miracle fruit is popular among diabetics and dieters.Synonym(s):Bakeriella dulcifica (Schumach. & Thonn.) Dubard Bumelia dulcifica Schumach. & Thonn. Pouteria dulcifica (Schumach. & Thonn.) Baehni Richardella dulcifica (Schumach. & Thonn.) Baehni Sideroxylon dulcificum (Schumach. & Thonn.) A.DC. Synsepalum glycydora WernhamRef and suggested reading:www.theplantlist.org/tpl/record/kew-199113www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?36056en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miraculin