— a Glimpse of Wonder entry™ —

Most of the time, fruit is on your side. Apples crunch, grapes burst, and bananas politely melt in your mouth. But every now and then, one turns on you.

Enter the pineapple.

If you’ve ever felt a tingling, stinging, or even burning sensation after a few juicy bites, you’re not alone—and you’re not imagining things. Pineapples contain bromelain, an enzyme with a very specific talent: it breaks down proteins. And that includes the proteins in your tongue, cheeks, and the roof of your mouth.

In a way, the pineapple starts digesting you back—just a little. The more you eat, the more noticeable it can get. Some people are more sensitive than others, and if you eat a lot of fresh pineapple at once, the irritation can last for hours. (In rare cases, it can even cause your mouth to peel!)

But here’s something curious: pineapple itself contains protein. Not a lot—only about half a gram per 100 grams—but still, it’s there. So why doesn’t the bromelain inside the pineapple just dissolve its own flesh?

Because Jehovah designed it with perfect restraint. In the living fruit, bromelain is stored in special compartments inside the plant’s cells. It’s kept safely away from the pineapple’s own protein structures—like a tool locked in a toolbox until it’s needed. Plus, the internal chemistry of a pineapple isn’t ideal for bromelain to go rogue. It’s only once the fruit is harvested, cut, and chewed that bromelain gets released—and activated.

Cooking disables it entirely. Heat breaks down the enzyme’s structure, which is why canned or cooked pineapple won’t sting your mouth. But fresh pineapple? That’s still loaded with active bromelain, which is why barbecue experts advise caution when using it to tenderize meat. Leave it on too long and dinner can turn into meat pudding.

So yes—pineapple is a fruit with attitude. Sweet, spiky, and just a little bit predatory.

Yet even this is a glimpse of design. Bromelain isn’t just useful in the kitchen. It’s used in medicine to help reduce swelling, assist digestion, and clean wounds. One fruit, so many purposes—all built into a tropical crown of golden spines.

A fruit that feeds you, heals you… and maybe takes a nibble while it’s at it.

Category: Plant Life

Tags: pineapple, , , digestion, fruit facts, creation, ,