Why does pineapple sting your tongue?
Pineapple's Tiny Scissors
Why does pineapple sting your tongue?
You bite into a juicy slice of pineapple and — ow! Your tongue tingles. Your mouth feels a little raw, like you've been licked by sandpaper. What's going on? Is the pineapple fighting back?
The culprit is a tiny molecular machine called bromelain. It's an enzyme — a protein that speeds up chemical reactions. Pineapples make bromelain to break down other proteins, snipping them into smaller pieces like molecular scissors.
