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Testing: The magical, mystical "Miracle Berry"
The idea behind the experiment was to see what you might be predisposed to in terms of taste and how certain chemicals can heighten or alter one's perception of flavors.
Testing: The magical, mystical "Miracle Berry"
The Philadelphia Science Festival (April 15-28) isn’t just about Dow Chemicals and the Space Grant Consortium. The fest will also feature several "Science Cafés" with the likes of Yards, The Continental and Kite & Key in collaboration with the Monell Center, Philly's internationally regarded center for smell and taste research. Last weekend I was invited to a preview of one of these public tasting events — "Flavor Tripping: The Magical Miracle Berry," scheduled for April 18 at The Continental. The idea behind the experiment was to see what you might be predisposed to in terms of taste and how certain chemicals (including those found in the infamous "miracle berry") can heighten or alter one's perception of flavors.
We drank from vials of sodium biophosphate and whatever we put in our mouth (scallops with rice wine vinegar; a grapefruit with yogurt) turned bitter. But the real test involved the "miracle berry" (Synsepalum dulcificum). We were asked to bite down on the fruit (served ice-cold), gnash the rind in our teeth then taste a lemon. As a guy who loves to have lemons (rind included) as a snack, I was expecting the usual sour and pleasurable sensation. What a surprise: After chewing the tiny red miracle berry, the citrus tasted incredibly sweet. That's because the fruit contains miraculin, a naturally occurring protein that temporarily attaches to taste buds to process typically sour flavors in the exact opposite direction.
Tickets for the April 18 event are $20; more info here.
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