Synsepalum dulcificum
 

They call it miracle fruit. My brother encountered this fruit in Turkey last week.

What's special about this fruit is after you have chew the fruit inside your mouth, making sure the juices coats your tongue. Eating lemon won't be sour anymore but sweet. Yes, SWEET! Bitter medicine also tastes sweet!

Anyone know where to get some?

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Hi Ban Aik! Well bro, we're on the same wave length...I just started searching for this last week. Who ever finds it first lets order for each other too! There's a newish book out called "The Fruit Hunters" that has a good chapter on this fruit as well as many other chapters dealing with fruits and especially the obsessive people that are into them like we're into CP's!

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

My bro just told me that there is a source in Florida. Was a short call. Will talk more with him tonight then I'll write more.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

What does it look like?

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Check at Wikipedia. Eew....looks revolting. But its suppose to make food taste sweet. I wanna grow it too.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

I'll re-read the chapter and post some notes. The author did interview someone who produces loads of it in America. They also discuss the fact that the sugar industry lobby pushed through legislation to make it impossible to grow as a 'marketable' product in America and only allow small quantities to be sold as 'novelty' items. The berries apparently are only effective for 1-2 days after picking. As I said, I'll re-read and post a bit more later.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Is they are making it non-marketable, then does that mean the fruit could have side effects/negative health effects?

Sounds like an interesting fruit, though. I wonder if the fruit affects the tongue or if it changes the sour acids.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

From what I've read there is absolutely no danger from the fruit, even at 3,000 times the recommended dosage. It is just big corporate interests protecting their market. Japan is much more open to it and has a lot of research and ongoing projects with this fruit. I've read that there is a huge operation going in Thailand somewhere but have yet to find it. It is now being freeze dried so that it has a longer 'shelf life'. Do a google search and you'll find more info than you know what to do with! There are a lot of articles describing how it "works' on sweetness receptor sites on the tongue.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Think be an ex excellent replacement for sugar and aspartame (we know it in Malaysia as equal and the likes). Hmmm... got pharmaceutical properties. Wish I have the facilities to isolate the active ingredient then patent it.

In terms of danger, there are Shawn. One may consume too much sour stuff mistaken it for sweet. I am sure tummy ache will follow suit. Wonder if it works for Tomyam. Some tomyam are just too firely hot for me. Shawn, you try, let me know. If it works, we can top the jalapeno eating competition!! Draw back- may have to suffer stomach burn later.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Sorry, you got the wrong guy for "heat" tests! I don't think that it works on anything but 'Sour". From what I've read, it does nothing for "bitter" tastes and I doubt that it effects "hot". They have already isolated the active compounds but found that they could not synthesize it (or get it 'stable' enough) to make it of value to the "Big Guys" corporations. These were the people that did a lot of the early testing in the US. There was another 'private individual' that put millions of dollars into it in the 1960's/70's but there was a very aggressive 'dirty tricks' campaign mounted against him and in the end the US Government pushed through legislation banning it, so he shut down his company laying off 280 workers!

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

The poor guy you mentioned, my brother also told me. Those sugar corporation used the FDA against him. Most things that has happened since last century boils down P-O-L-I-T-I-C-S.

I was hoping to win the 2009 jalapeno eating competition!!! Darn it!

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Hey Shawn, Don't have to look far now. Yesterday during a dinner function in Ipoh, I met with someone who has just tasted the effects of the berries recently... in PENANG!!! She says she'll ask her friend where the plant came from. Seems it is in the market!!! Yabadabadooo!!!!

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Find be for me too!!

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

a grower selling the plant locally, imported from Taiwan but not sure the original where it came from. It's already selling well even in Japan.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Wow, looks like popular plant. That's good news! Don't have to worry about sour oranges in future.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Yahoo2! Great job guys! Put me down for a couple please!

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Thought it's avalaible at almost every plant nursery. Had been around for few years since 2006. Not sure about its' price range. Start from Rm 18 for a seedling to few hundreds for mature plant.

Re: Synsepalum dulcificum
 

Yeah, been around for some time. I have one in Penang, one in Kajang. Fruits always drop so you may only get a few that mature. Then you will be fighting with birds who go for red coloured berries, lol. Tried it once and ate oranges after that. Taste like someone put artificial sweetener on the orange - quite revolting. I had a friend who ate the fruit and went to prepare tuna/sardines. Suffice to say, the citric acid in the canned stuff made my poor friend think it is not salty enough and ended up with fish that is too salty to eat. Proper name is Richardella dulcifica.