What is "miraculin"

n. (context biochemistry English) A natural sugar substitute, a glycoprotein extracted from the fruit of ''Synsepalum dulcificum''.

Miraculin is a natural sugar substitute, a glycoprotein extracted from the fruit of Synsepalum dulcificum. The berry, also known as the miracle fruit, was first documented by explorer Chevalier des Marchais, who searched for many different fruits during a 1725 excursion to its native West Africa.

Miraculin itself is not sweet. However, after the taste buds are exposed to miraculin (which binds to sweet receptors on the tongue), acidic foods which are ordinarily sour (such as citrus) are perceived as sweet. This effect lasts up to an hour.

The active substance, isolated by Prof. Kenzo Kurihara (栗原 堅三　Kurihara Kenzō), a Japanese scientist, was named miraculin after the miracle fruit when Kurihara published his work in Science in 1968.