From the News Blog
University of Florida
by Lourdes Mederos
Could
the Miracle Fruit be for South Florida?
New study uncovers data showing how bountiful it can grow in the
subtropics
HOMESTEAD, Fla. –
Scientists at University of Florida’s Tropical Research and
Education Center have unlocked the mystery behind a highly sought-after
berry known as the miracle fruit in a study published this week.
This
news brings much needed insight to local growers, and food and drink
manufacturers who are looking for ways to make it a viable industry,
particularly in South Florida.
Known for its abilities to serve
as a non-caloric sweetener and change the perception of foods and
beverages from sour to sweet, insufficient information has kept
domestic growers and manufacturers in the dark about its strength and
potential for a profitable industry until now.
The perennial,
which grows natively in Africa and has been consumed for more than a
century in that continent for its ability to add sweetness to the
blandest and most sour of foods, has a fruit pulp that contains a
protein called miraculin. The protein is a taste-modifier, one of only
a handful of such naturally occurring molecules in the world that is
found in the berries of the plant known colloquially as the miracle
fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum).
For
the first time, UF/IFAS researchers uncovered key information about the
plant’s varieties and their potential for the berry’s
potency.
Critical to the findings are the varieties identified
with the greatest potential for fruit-bearing with the highest potency
of the protein and its ability to harvest more efficiently and most
often in climates like Africa. The equivalent of those climates are
South Florida, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
“We now have
foundational data on yield and of the concentration of the miraculin
protein in the berry,” said Alan Chambers, the lead researcher,
author of the study and a tropical plant geneticist at the Homestead
research facility of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural
Sciences (UF/IFAS). “The berry, similar in size to a raspberry,
is primarily valued for its miraculin content, but what this study did
for the first time, is quantify the miraculin in the fruit of select
varieties.”
The study was carried out from May 2018 to
December 2019 on a private, commercial farm in Homestead. Plants were
maintained in 20-gallon pots with 2.5-meter spacing in a shade house
with supplemental irrigation and fertilized with controlled-release
fertilizer.
Chambers and his research team evaluated nine
varieties with the most miraculin per pound and per-acre harvested. The
sampling was conducted on a plot with 66 trees where researchers
analyzed the miraculin potency and statistically looked at the growth
of the bush and the berry. During that time, researchers recorded the
ability for the varieties to produce six harvest peaks within the year
with the largest harvests taking place from May to July.
“We
were able to find the winners and the losers,” said Chambers.
“If you are just planting seedling stocks, you can potentially
have some varieties that have no function. All these things can make a
grower more successful by making the farm more efficient. It is a huge
advantage in the competitive market.”
This is great news
for growers like Erik Tietig, who took a chance at growing varieties he
developed of the plant in 2012. Tietig grew up on his mother’s
tropical fruit nursery, Pine Island Nursery, when she opened in 1972 in
Homestead. He took his knowledge and spun off a fruit farm aptly named
the Miracle Fruit Farm in the Redlands with his brother to grow the
miracle fruit. The farm, which is home to 6900 trees including multiple
varieties, sponsored the research and served as the case study.
“We
have had real challenges growing this plant,” said Tietig.
“There is no research on the crop. Growers like myself, rely on
data from scientists to help us make good decisions and even help
predict the economics of a crop by determining the best varieties for
our area and the best cultural practices to facilitate success.”
Tietig
and his brother took a chance on the crop because of its unique ability
to trick taste and hoped it could serve as a taste enhancer for
patients undergoing oncology treatments. At times, the side-effect of
certain oncology treatments can result in taste alterations and
discourage patients from eating. Today, they provide the plants,
packaged berries and more. Their hope is to grow as the popularity for
the perennial increases.
“South Florida is the perfect
place for this industry. Like me, the plant loves the heat,”
added Tietig. “For the first time we have real scientific data
that illustrates how these varieties are different and why.”
Tietig
added that the farm currently harvests fruit four days a week, every
week of the year but now with the added information of the potency, the
potential for making sound decisions and predictions is an advantage in
future planning.
“The potential is enormous for this crop,
especially for its applications,” added Tietig. “What is
unique to South Florida, is our weather. We are the only Zone 10 in the
United States, despite the tree being native to Ghana, and it
doesn’t grow anywhere like it grows here. It’s really a
special place and the weather is incredibly conducive to grow this
crop.”
Next step for the research team is to obtain
sponsorship to investigate the molecular diversity of the plant and
determine the differences between the berries grown in Africa and the
United States.
Lourdes
Mederos, a public relations specialist at UF/IFAS Communications, has
made the sun and fun of South Florida her passion. Hiking, kayaking and
finding new adventures makes life that much sweeter especially when she
can share a good story.
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