Have you ever had to decide between a beach bod and a moist, rich, spongy chocolate cake? It's a tough call... on one hand you'll be able to show off all your hard work on the beach, and on the other... a fork of heavenly sweetness. No one should need to choose between the two. That's why mberry is here to make life a little sweeter while still allowing you to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
mberry is a special tablet made from the special, "miracle fruit." This fruit, although not commonly found in your average supermarket, has a long history of usage. 18th century West African tribes ate the berries before eating their traditional dishes. These dishes, such as kankies, similar to cornbread, pitto (or palm wine), and guddoe, an oatmeal, are all very bland, but after the miracle berry, taste sweet and flavorful.
Founded in 2008, mberry created the mberry tablet, a more convenient alternative to the actual fruit. Some believe that the fruits have a stronger effect, but others say that the tablets last longer. mberry works by enhancing the natural sugars in certain foods, hence making blander, but healthier foods taste sweeter. Consumers of the tablet range from kids who want to test it out for fun, to chemo patients who say that the mberry tablets sometimes help bring back certain flavors.
To use the tablets, simply place one in your mouth and let it melt across your tongue until it has completely dissolved and coated your taste buds. The effects of the tablet last for about half an hour before everything goes back to normal (so don't worry about eating dinner in an hour and having it taste like dessert!).
To put the tablets to the test, Spoon Stevens decided to hold an event and see how they react to: lemons, limes, milk, barbecue sauce, Tabasco, sour patch kids, salt and vinegar chips, balsamic vinegar, apples, and cream cheese. Each participant was asked to also rate each item (one being not so good, five being AMAZING) they tried, so we could determine the most flavor tripping food to eat with mberry!
Lemons/Limes (4.7)
Did you ever think there'd be a day when your tongue tells you that lemons and limes are sweet? Neither did Nina here, and everyone else at the event! Ameya and Kayleen both found the acidic fruit to now be reminiscent of a Popsicle. Pratik and Tiffany noted that the lemon tasted sweeter and superior to the lime, but all in all, everyone concurred with Olivia's comment, "Yo, I could eat this all day."
Milk (N/A)
There wasn't too much of a reaction to the milk. Some found no difference in taste, whereas others found a slight increase in sweetness. Nina expressed, "The milk also tasted particularly sweet. It was a little weird, because sweet tasting milk is usually flavored. I like milk anyway, so it was just pleasant, though."
Barbecue Sauce/Tabasco (1-2)
Both sauces still tasted very similar to their original state before and after the tablet. A number of participants said there was a smokier and sweeter flavor.
Salt and Vinegar Chips (3.3) /Balsamic Vinegar (2)
Both tasted almost the same, but the sour vinegar taste was not as pungent according to Nina. Others said that the chips tasted a bit blander. Rather than salt and vinegar, the chips tasted more like the original flavor.
Sour Patch Kids (N/A)
Is a sour patch kid a sour patch kid if it skips straight to the sweetness? Felix added that, "[there was] no sour then sweet, just sweet throughout. Tasted like Swedish fish."
Cream Cheese (3.1)
To many of the participants' surprise, the cream cheese's new flavor resembled that of cheesecake. While some only tasted cream cheese, many noted that they tasted an additional sweetness in the cream cheese after taking the mberry tablet.
Apples (4)
Apples were also a big hit. Most commented that it tasted "much sweeter" or "like a fresh apple."
Miscellaneous Foods
Some participants also brought some of their own foods to try out. Sumika tried ginger tea without additives and found that the ginger was not as strong as it usually tasted, thus making it more enjoyable. Kayleen brought mustard which ended up tasting like honey mustard. Tiffany brought strawberries which she described as "amazingggggg". Sophie tried Super Coffee, which she had not enjoyed previously due to the aftertaste. Unfortunately, it still remained even after the mberry tablet.
And the winner is....
Lemons (and limes)!
These received either fours and fives (out of five) in terms of ratings from the participants. Many people said they were planning on running to the nearest store to buy a bunch of lemons to eat before the tablet ran out (unfortunately, not all of them made it in time). Apples were a close second, so it seems as though mberry works the best with fruits.
Would You Buy mberry?
After asking the participants, everyone really enjoyed the flavor tripping experiment, so we also asked if mberry would be a product they would purchase for themselves. There were mixed responses to the question. Those who answered "no" expressed concern about cost (a pack of ten tablet is priced at $15) and the fact that it is not yet FDA approved. Those who answered "yes" or "maybe" would do so again for a special occasion, for fun, or if there was a discount.
Personally, I think the product is a great way for those who are dieting or have a medical condition such as diabetes. The price may be a little high for college students who just want to have a good time, but for a patient or health conscious person with a sweet tooth, the $15 may seem like a small price to pay.
Check out mberry and learn more about their products here!