A popular TikTok scientist has revealed the real reason your tongue and mouth tingle after eating pineapple and other tropical fruit. And the truth behind the science may shock you into never wanting to eat a pineapple ever again in your life. According to the science expert who runs the TikTok account SF Microscopy, a pineapple has “thousands of tiny needles” that stab through the cell membranes in your mouth and on your tongue while you eat the fruit, causing tiny tingles of pain and suffering.
The scientist’s TikTok video, which was shared on the Chinese-owned social media platform that has become very popular among American users despite being a conduit for the Chinese government and companies to spy on American consumer trends and habits, caused many people to express fear and worry around eating pineapples since they do not like the idea of being stabbed with thousands of tiny needles every time they try to be healthy and eat fruit.
The science clip has been viewed a whopping 35.8 million times and counting. In the video, the scientist is shown holding a set of forceps as they handle the pineapple slices with thousands of tiny needles coming out of them.
The scientist picks up slices of pineapple before they put them under a microscope to show all the tiny needles in the popular tropical fruit. In the microscope close up, you can see dozens of tiny spikes coming out of the popular fruit. The video shocked people because so few people realize that pineapples can cause minute harm to a human being’s mouth and tongue by stabbing cell membranes with the tiny spikes.
The voiceover explains: “Why do our mouths tingle after eating pineapple? It’s because we are getting stabbed by thousands of tiny needles called raphides. These crystals of calcium oxalate poke holes in your cell membranes, causing irritation.”
The video clip concludes with the popular TikTok scientist saying, “It won’t stop me from eating this delicious fruit.”
The caption added further information about the tiny spikes in the pineapple fruit, “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.”
The scientist added, “These needles serve as a defensive function against insect herbivores to deter them from eating the plant’s fruits and protect the seeds. The needles work with other chemical substances, like bromelain in the pineapple, to amplify the effects.”
Many people shared their reaction to the news about pineapples and their tiny spikes in the comments.
“So basically while I am eating my pineapple, my pineapple is eating me,” one fan of the scientist’s work wrote.
“The whole time, I thought it was because I was mildly allergic,” another person shared.
“I love pineapple so much, but it hurt so bad, LMAO,” wrote another fan.