'Miracle' tomato turns sour foods sweet
source: http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/61956/title/Miracle_tomato_turns_sour_foods_sweet
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According to the article, scientists are studying the effects of miraculin, which is a natural protein that can turn soar food sweeter. One use for it is for dieters who have trouble eating low fat food if it tastes sour, this is already used in Japan but only if the fruit is eaten first. Another use for the miraculin is to sweeten food by not using sugar or sweeteners.
"In recent years, the big question has been how to ramp up production of that compound so that marketers can continue to satisfy growing international demand. Manufacturers could, of course, tap the chemical’s natural source. But that strategy might well prove a prescription for the plant’s plunder. So various research teams have been instead investigating ways to insert the gene to produce miraculin into living protein factories."-ScienceNews
There is also a interesting comment discussion on the article, asking would fooling to taste buds into if it is eating sweeter foods cause "the pancreas to start pumping out insulin.". They discuss a study which tested something along those lines with sweetener, but wonder if the same would happen with the fruit.
"In recent years, the big question has been how to ramp up production of that compound so that marketers can continue to satisfy growing international demand. Manufacturers could, of course, tap the chemical’s natural source. But that strategy might well prove a prescription for the plant’s plunder. So various research teams have been instead investigating ways to insert the gene to produce miraculin into living protein factories."-ScienceNews
There is also a interesting comment discussion on the article, asking would fooling to taste buds into if it is eating sweeter foods cause "the pancreas to start pumping out insulin.". They discuss a study which tested something along those lines with sweetener, but wonder if the same would happen with the fruit.
