It lives in a pineapple under the sea… Another seasonal food is pineapple. If you still don’t know what we mean by “seasonal”, we remind you that in each season of the year we can find different fruits or vegetables that become an excellent option to consume at any time of the day. Furthermore, we can find them at lower prices, at their exact point of ripeness and with their nutrients at their peak.
Right now, if we go to the market, street market or supermarket, we can see the shelves full of fruits such as strawberries, lemons, mangoes, melons, papayas, bananas, tamarinds, oranges, grapefruits, soursops, apples, pineapples, pears and watermelons. However, there is one peculiar option among these: pineapple. Not only because of its flavor, shape or color, but because when you eat it, you may experience a strange sensation on your tongue.
What happens to my tongue when I eat pineapple
If, when you eat some fruit, you feel that your tongue suddenly becomes itchy, you have a strange sensation when you drink water and it lasts for a while, there can be two reasons: you are being poisoned or you have scalded tongue. We are not going to talk about the first one, but the second one is quite interesting, since it is literally a burn, but not as we know them.
Scalded tongue, or burning mouth syndrome, is the medical term for continuous burning in some parts of the inside of the mouth. Some doctors and dentists do not have a specific test for the syndrome, which makes it difficult to diagnose. There is also no specific treatment that works for everyone, however, your doctor may prescribe medication to help control pain, dry mouth or other symptoms.
This pain occurs at primary or secondary levels. The former is when it is not caused by an underlying medical problem and is said to be caused by damage to the nerves that control pain and taste; the latter, on the other hand, is caused by an underlying medical condition and in this case a specialist will be needed to control it.
Following this logic, we have the fruit of the pineapple, which contains significant amounts of a proteolytic enzyme called bromelain, which is responsible for producing the scalding effect on our tongue. If we consider that in the saliva in our mouth we have proteins for its maintenance and protection, which are hydrolyzed or “broken down” when they interact with bromelain, we find that this combination causes the “scalding” sensation. In addition, the tongue is sensitized due to the acidity of the pineapple and a more intense burning sensation is perceived, so we can affirm that it is a primary level pain.
Before you demonize pineapple, you should know that bromelain helps digest food and has been shown to have beneficial health effects, such as its antioxidant function, by protecting cells from oxidative stress and free radicals. Other experts have associated it as a potential anticancer agent, with anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and antiulcerative effects. So, don’t worry, keep eating pineapple even if it might hurt a little.
You should know that pineapple is the most typical fruit that we associate with this pain, but there are also kiwi, papaya and fig. If any fruit or vegetable causes you similar symptoms, you should consider visiting your doctor, as it may be an allergy in your body to some fruits or, in the worst case, poisoning for the same reasons.
