An expert has revealed why pineapple makes our mouths feel tingly when we eat it.
“Why do our mouths tingle while eating pineapple?” TikTok user @sf_microscopy posted in a video.
The microscopist then places some pineapple on a glass slide under the microscope to reveal tiny, sharp spikes.
“It’s ‘cause we’re getting stabbed by thousands of tiny needles called raphides,” he explains.
The microscopic needles are “crystals of calcium oxalate”, and they “poke holes in your cell membranes, causing irritation!”
These are also found in leafy greens, kiwis, grapes, taro and yams.
“These needles serve as a defensive function against insect herbivores to deter them from eating the plant’s fruits and protect the seeds.
“Won’t stop me from eating this delicious fruit.”
But this is not the case for some people.
“So basically, while I’m eating my pineapple, the pineapple is eating me,” one person jested.
“Never eating pineapple again, bro,” someone confessed.
“It always feels so raw afterwards. This makes so much sense.”
“Yes, this will stop me from eating it,” another said.
@sf_microscopy One of my favorite fruits is pineapple, but every time I eat them, my mouth tingles. I read that the fruit contains raphides! Kiwis, grapes, taro, and yams also have large amounts of these crystals. These needles serve as a defensive function against insect herbivors to deter them from eating the plant’s fruits and protect the seeds. The needles work with other chemcial substances, like bromelain in the pineapple, to amplify the effects. #microscope #microbiology #underthemicroscope #microscopy #microcosmos #nature #pineapple #crystals #fyp #fypage #fypシ ♬ Sunshine - WIRA
