Miracle Fruit: How to Trick Your Taste Buds

The video explores the miracle fruit, a plant native to West Africa, known for its unique ability to alter taste perception. The fruit contains a protein called miraculin, which binds to taste receptors and makes sour foods taste sweet under acidic conditions. The video explains the scientific process behind this phenomenon, comparing miraculin's binding power to artificial sweeteners, and highlights its potential to make foods taste extremely sweet.

What is the primary reason people consume miracle fruit?

• For its nutritional benefits

• To alter the taste of other foods

• To experience its unique taste

• For its high sugar content

How does miraculin affect taste buds under neutral conditions?

• It has no effect on taste buds

• It makes all flavors taste sour

• It blocks sweetness receptors

• It enhances the perception of sweetness

What happens to miraculin under acidic conditions?

• It increases the sensitivity of sweet receptors

• It turns sour foods into bitter ones

• It loses its ability to bind to receptors

• It enhances the perception of bitterness

Compared to aspartame, how strongly does acid-activated miraculin bind to taste receptors?

• About the same strength

• Less strongly

• A million times more strongly

• It does not bind at all

Why might miraculin make orange juice taste unpleasantly sweet?

• It binds weakly to taste receptors

• It adds extra sugar to the juice

• It binds extremely strongly, enhancing sweetness

• It reduces the acidity of the juice