How does a Miracle Fruit change how things taste?
Miracle Fruit contain a substance called Miraculin, which is not sweet tasting by itself, but it alters a persons taste buds to the point that it makes sour things taste sweet. Miraculin is a glycoprotein consisting of 191 amino acids and some carbohydrate chains. This glycoprotein is a “macro molecule”, with a molecular weight of 44/000. When the glycoprotein coats the taste buds, it causes the sweet taste bud receptors to fire when they encounter sour foods, and the brain is tricked into thinking that the sour food is a sweet food. The effect can last anywhere from 30 minutes to about two hours. Eating more than one fruit does not make the effect stronger.
