1. Miracle FruitSynsepalum dulcificum 神秘果（拉丁名：Synsepalum dulcificum）

The miracle fruit, or sweet berries, is a very strange berry native to West Africa. What makes the fruit strange and miraculous, is miraculin (a sugar substitute), which is found in large quantities in the fruit, combined with a glycoprotein. The fruit itself does not contain a lot of sugar, and tastes only mildly sweet but when eaten, the glycoprotein binds to the tongues taste buds, which, for about an hour after eating the fruit, distorts any other taste into sweetness. With that effect you could technically eat a lemon, and it would taste like a ball of syrup. Although the definite reason for this occurrence is not fully understood, it would seem as if the miraculin distorts the shape of the sweetness receptors in the tongue so that they pick up on acid instead of sweetness. The sweetness receptors on your tongue then transmit to the brain to taste sweetness when they come in contact with any acidity. In the 70s attempts were made to commercialize and sell the fruit as a diet aid, as it has the potential to turn any meal sweet, without affecting your calorie intake. These attempts were shattered when the FDA declared it a food additive, due to pressure from sugar companies who could foresee big losses in profits. In the last two years the berries have been making a comeback, by being the guest star of many tasting parties in the states. The berries are dried and exported, and the party guests each have one and then taste all kinds of common foods to experience a new taste sensation with every bite.

神秘果，或稱甜漿果，原產地為西非，是一種非常奇妙的漿果。神秘果之所以奇妙神奇，是因水果中含有大量的神秘果素（代糖），合成一種糖蛋白（變味糖蛋白）。這種水果本身并不含有太多的糖分，它嘗上去僅僅微甜；但吃了神秘果之后，變味糖蛋白擾亂了舌頭上的味蕾功能，之后任何味道都變成了甜味，這種狀態可以持續一小時左右。效果就如同，你實際上吃的是一個酸檸檬，但卻感覺就像在吃糖漿一樣。這種現象的原因尚未十分明確，但似乎是神秘果素擾亂了舌頭上的味蕾感受器的功能，讓它們只選擇感受甜味而對酸味的感覺產生麻痹。（不論哪種酸味的水果，總是含有一些果糖，只是因為酸性成分大于甜性成分，所以，我們感覺到的只是酸味，而無甜味）吃了神秘果后，我們舌頭上的味覺感受器接觸到任何酸味食物，都會只感覺到其中甜味成分，然后傳輸給大腦。在70年代，曾試圖把這種水果商業化，把其當利于減肥的商品來銷售，因為神秘果可以把任何膳食變甜，卻不增加熱量的攝入。當食品及藥物管理局宣布神密果為食品添加劑時，制糖企業預見這會讓他們利益損失慘重，所以大力施壓，這種嘗試最終以失敗而告終。最近兩年，這種漿果再度卷土重來，在全國各舉辦的各種品嘗宴會上，它都是特邀嘉賓。神秘果曬干后就可以運輸，宴會中的每位賓客都會吃上一枚，然后再品嘗各種各樣的普通食品，每吃一口，都會體驗到一種奇妙的新口味。

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喜歡這些水果嗎？與朋友們一起分享吧。