Digging into some juicy pineapple is one in all my favourite summer season pastimes. I’d prefer to eat a complete bowl of it—after which return for an additional serving and possibly even a 3rd. What’s holding me again? I principally restrict myself as a result of anytime I devour the tangy fruit, it triggers probably the most annoying stinging sensation on my tongue.
And I do know I’m not alone; I’ve come throughout numerous movies of individuals sharing related tingly experiences. Most frequently, they blame a pesky enzyme in pineapple as the primary reason behind all that struggling. However lately I stumbled throughout one other risk: A TikTok claiming that tiny, irritating shards discovered within the fruit’s flesh are literally the true wrongdoer.
Surprising, proper? I used to be skeptical, because you clearly can’t consider the whole lot you see on-line. So I made a decision to attach with an professional to determine what’s actually taking place—and if there’s a approach I can stay out my pineapple-eating desires annoyance-free.
To begin with, does pineapple actually include tiny shards?
Determining whether or not that is true or not was my first order of enterprise, as a result of, nicely, the considered consuming sharp fragments is fairly alarming.
Seems, it is true, but it surely’s not as dramatic because it sounds. The “spikes” in query are referred to as raphides. They’re sharp needle-like crystals product of the mineral calcium oxalate (the identical substance that varieties kidney stones) that function the fruit’s pure protection of types, Michael P. Sheehan, PhD, an adjunct scientific assistant professor of dermatology who focuses on plant irritant allergic reactions at Indiana College Faculty of Medication, tells SELF. Pineapples can’t simply run away anytime a predator (okay, me) tries to prey on them, so over time they developed a protecting mechanism that triggers an expulsion of pricks, Dr. Sheehan says.
Different produce like kiwis, spinach, and rhubarb even have raphides, which can clarify why some individuals really feel an identical irritation after consuming them too.
The excellent news is, these spikes are so microscopic which you could solely see them beneath particular tools. Meaning they’re not hearty sufficient to inflict critical hurt to a human mouth, however they’ll do some injury to bugs like child moths. It nonetheless doesn’t imply persons are within the clear, although. Raphides could cause microscopic abrasions to tongues and the insides of cheeks, Dr. Sheenan says. Then, when the tangy, acidic juice from the pineapple seeps into these tiny microabrasions, you are feeling that tingly, burning sensation.
So what about that enzyme?
Okay, the tiny shards principle checks out. Does that imply the tingly enzyme speculation is bogus?
Nope. Bromelain—an enzyme present in pineapple that helps disintegrate protein—additionally performs a job in irritating your tongue, Dr. Sheehan says. Your mouth can’t deal with the chemical in addition to your GI tract can: Bromelain breaks down proteins which might be a part of the mucus lining in your cheek, which wears away on the protecting barrier. This enables the acidity from the pineapple to get in and trigger an annoying tingly sensation.
