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Miraculin
A protein from West Africa with taste-modifying activity / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Miraculin is a taste modifier, a glycoprotein extracted from the fruit of Synsepalum dulcificum.[2] The berry, also known as the miracle fruit, was documented by explorer Chevalier des Marchais, who searched for many different fruits during a 1725 excursion to its native West Africa.
Quick Facts Identifiers, Organism ...
Miraculin glycoprotein | |||||||
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Identifiers | |||||||
Organism | Synsepalum dulcificu | ||||||
Symbol | MIRA_RICDU | ||||||
PDB | 3IIR | ||||||
UniProt | P13087 | ||||||
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Miraculin itself does not taste sweet. When taste buds are exposed to miraculin, the protein binds to the sweetness receptors. This causes normally sour-tasting acidic foods, such as citrus, to be perceived as sweet.[2][3] The effect can last for one or two hours.[4][5]