Miracle Fruit, a Potential Taste-modifier to Improve Food Preferences: A Review.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The miracle fruit contains the glycoprotein miraculin which can modify the taste perception of food and beverages at low pH conditions, altering the consumers' food preferences. This review aims to critically evaluate all available evidence on miracle fruit/ miraculin and taste modification and its potential role in improving food preferences.

Recent findings: Miracle fruit suppresses sourness and induces sweetness in acidic food/ beverages. At low pH conditions, miracle fruit enhances the sweet taste and decreases the perceived intensities of salty and bitter tastes in solutions. However, the role of miracle fruit in sweet, salty, and bitter food is not adequately studied. The above effects alter the food-liking scores in individual foods and mixed diets. Miracle fruit is a pH-dependent taste modifier with the potential to be used in food applications to improve consumer food preferences. Future research on the changes in food preferences with the optimum miraculin dose, food type, and intrapersonal variations in taste sensitivity is warranted.