People are only just realising why your tongue tingles after eating pineapple and they’re horrified
OUT of all the fruits, many people say pineapple is one of their favourites thanks to it’s sweet and juicy taste.
But if you’ve ever snacked on the fruit and found your moth to be strangely tingly afterwards, you’re probably not the only one.
In fact, people have been left stunned after realising the reason for this lingering, and sometimes even painful, sensation.
Posting on TikTok, the science fans from SF Microscopy explained what’s behind this uncomfortable feeling so many of us encounter after nibbling on the sweet snack.
In the clip they looked at parts of the fruit under a microscope to show the reason for the sensation.
“It’s cause we are getting stabbed by 1000s of tiny needles called raphides,” the voice over on the clip explained.
“These crystals of calcium oxalate poke holes in your cell membranes causing irritation!”
The content creator gave TiKTok users a closer look and pointed out the “little needles” that can create the slight stabbing sensation in your mouth.
Of course, because these ‘needles’ are so small, it doesn’t really feel like stabbing, and just leaves your mouth feeling irritated.
The revelation left many pineapple fans stunned, and one even vowed to “never eat pineapple again.”
“You know the fruits good when it starts fighting back,” a second commented on the clip.
And a third said: “It always feel so raw afterwards, this makes so much sense.”
Someone else chimed in: “My mouth be sore as hell after going crazy on them pineapples.”
Another wrote: “Thank you… never knew tropical fruit had defence mechanisms… very interesting.”
What the science says
A study from McGill University explained that the so-called needles are actually “raphides” containing insoluble crystals.
The study explained one theory about raphides is that their herbivore defence mechanisms hits back if the plant is damaged.
So, sap or saliva will trigger the ‘needles’ and prick the predators, who happen to be us humans.
These tiny pricks are what causes the irritated feeling – the more you know!