All the while, the remedy to diabetic patients that miss the taste of sugar has always been either artificial sweetener or natural zero-calorie sweeteners. However, in the consumption of these products, it would either leave an unpleasant after taste, like the effects of consuming stevia, a natural zero-calorie sweetener or even be detrimental to a person's health in the long run, causing problems such as weight gain, metabolic syndrome or even type 2 diabetes. It's quite ironic that the product that's supposed to be a substitute of sugar, happen to have the exact same effects of sugar on our bodies and even be worse in some ways. That's when taste modifiers come into play. Originating from berries and fruits known as Synsepalum dulcificum and Curculigo Latifolia respectively, coats the tongue and taste receptors with a type of protein that changes sour, acidic and bitter flavors to sweet flavors, in doing so, without having any impact on the blood sugar of an individual, he/she would be able to savor sweet flavors without consequences other than stomach cramps from over-ingestion of acid.
The Miracle Fruit and the Lemba Fruit contains only 2 similarities which are that they both contain proteins which changes sour and bitter flavors to sweet, and that those proteins are easily denatured by heat, which prevents their use in most cooking application, however those are the extents of their similarities. The Miracle Fruit's glycoprotein is known as Miraculin, and the effects of the fruit usually lasts between 30 minutes to 1 hour. This fruit is widely known in Japan among diabetes patients and dieters as it does not increase blood glucose levels. However, it is mostly known in other parts of the world mostly for it's flavor altering properties. This fruit has been proven to also counteract the metallic taste which is one of the side effects of chemotherapy. The Lemba fruit's protein is known as Curculin and also sometimes referred to as neoculin and it's effects only lasts 5 minutes with water, and 10 minutes with an acidic solution. The difference between this fruit and the miracle fruit is that while the miracle fruit is generally tasteless on it's own, the Lemba fruit is said to be sweet even on it's own and is even said to make plain water taste sweet. The use of the Lemba fruit is only legally regulated in Japan as a sweetener for now. Having said all that, I strongly believe that the distribution and growth of both plants and fruits should be widely regulated throughout the world. Now more than ever, as the rate of diabetic patients are on the rise, to be able to convert to a harmless fruit and berry to replace other artificial and natural sweeteners should take precedence.
Reference:
http://www.miraclefruit.ca/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/09/26/how-the-miracle-fruit-changes-sour-into-sweet/#.VcAji_lVhBc
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/curculin.html
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/natural-sweeteners.html
http://www.medicaldaily.com/4-dangerous-effects-artificial-sweeteners-your-health-247543
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030
Reference:
http://www.miraclefruit.ca/
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2011/09/26/how-the-miracle-fruit-changes-sour-into-sweet/#.VcAji_lVhBc
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/curculin.html
http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/natural-sweeteners.html
http://www.medicaldaily.com/4-dangerous-effects-artificial-sweeteners-your-health-247543
http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/artificial-sweeteners-sugar-free-but-at-what-cost-201207165030