Synsepalum dulcificum (miracle berry)

The miracle berry ( Synsepalum dulcificum ) originates from tropical West Africa. It belongs to the Sapotaceae family and grows as a small, heavily branched tree or shrub that can reach up to 4 meters in height, but usually remains considerably smaller.

As the name suggests, their fruits are something quite special. The red berries, about 2 to 2.5 cm long, contain a single, large seed and slightly sweet-tasting pulp. So far, so unremarkable. The "miraculous" effect of the miracle berry only unfolds when you consume another acidic food after eating the berry, such as a lemon or lime. Then, miraculously, it no longer tastes sour at all, but sweet!

The effect is due to the glycoprotein miraculin, found in the pulp of the mirabelle berry. At neutral pH, this molecule binds to taste buds and blocks the receptors, but at low pH (resulting from consuming acidic foods), miraculin binds to proteins and is able to activate the sweet receptors, leading to the perception of a sweet taste. This effect lasts until the molecule is flushed away (approximately 30 minutes or by consuming a beverage).

For best results, don't just chew and swallow the berries. Instead, spread the pulp and juice around in your mouth for about 20 seconds. After that, you can bite into a lemon without tasting even a hint of acidity.



The miracle berry is quite easy to cultivate, but it needs consistently warm conditions to thrive and plenty of light to produce fruit. It grows relatively slowly.

Growing plants from seed is very difficult in comparison. Most young plants die after a few months without having developed more than two pairs of leaves. We cannot really recommend growing them from seed. For this reason, we do not offer seeds or seedlings here, even though our mother plants regularly bear fruit. The plants offered are rooted cuttings from our mother plants!



You will receive a young plant in a 7cm pot. See gallery.