Yesterday I cut myself some fresh pineapple, and then promptly proceeded to eat a lot of it, before remembering that every time I eat a copious amount of pineapple, the roof of my mouth becomes itchy and sore. So why is this condition a common complaint among fresh pineapple aficionados? Find out when you read more.
Pineapples contain an plant protease enzyme called bromelain. Because it readily breaks down protein, bromelain is frequently used as a natural meat tenderizer. Bromelain may also induce a prickly sensation in the mouth when consumed.
Although the enzyme is present in all parts of the pineapple plant, it's most concentrated in the stem, the hard piece in the middle of the fruit, which is much more fibrous and chewy but still edible. Many people believe that letting a pineapple sit overnight helps take away the irritation factor, but one surefire way to alleviate the burn is to cut out the core.
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Levi's
oh wow i thought it was just me; but i get it after too many potato products too.
1it sounds silly but the core is my favorite part! i like to cut it out with a bit of the other flesh on it and save it for myself.
2I love pineapple with salt. Sometimes I become too enthusiastic about my love and end up with a rash around my mouth. It's always worth it.
3I don't know if this is true, but my mom used to rub salt all over it, and said that it would reduce the itchiness. I'm not sure if it's true though.
4hmm, and i always thought it was b/c i was allergic to it! im going to let it sit overnight to try it again
5and it leaves a bitter after-taste...u i LOOOVE pineapples
6Bromelain is also used as a digestive enzyme, as well as an anti-inflammatory. Drs often tell patients to pick it up at a health food store and start taking it before surgery to help them heal quicker!
7I've never really noticed it too much unless I have a canker sore or my lips are already kind of chapped. My dad hates fresh pineapple because of the itch factor, lol...the only kind he'll eat is the canned stuff.
8Sorry ladies who have this issue, I've never even heard of it. It must be miserable.
9it's also recommended to give to cats to help with hairball digestion
10I've never had this happen before, but I have heard that pineapple helps with stomach upset, which would jive with what pixiedust posted.
11Cool. I always wondered about that. I never noticed a difference if the core was cut out or not though. But now that it's been mentioned, the pineapple at work never bothers me, and we cut the core out. Explains alot.
12Apparently it's in kiwi too... I just assumed I was allergic to it. I haven't had kiwi in years!
13I always thought I was just allergic to it!
14cocochick ME TOO!! haha i havent had a pneapple or kiwi in forever b/c i thought i was allergic!
15Like pixiedust said, there's an enzyme in fresh pineapple that's good for digestion. I hear it's helpful for clearing out parasites as well.
16i always thought i was allergic to pineapple and kiwi too! now i can eat it? yay.
17Pineapple makes my niece's mouth bleed.
18This doesn't happen to me with pineapple, but plums, cherries, and even apples (which I all love) make my mouth, throat and lips itch and swell up. I never used to have that when I was little, so I don't know how this has happened.
Plums used to be my favorite fruit.
19that's really good to know. i always wondered what it was and figured that it was just the acid in the fruit.
20I get really bad eczema on my hands and when I cut up fresh pineapple my hands break out. I've taken to wearing gloves now.
21@ bigestivediscui, that happened to my girlfriend this summer. She's so sad...
22As for the weird pineapple thing, I just figured everyone else was complaining about nothing, because I never experienced it myself.
i love pineapple. i do get the weird tingky feeling on my lips and inside my mouth after eating it but it goes away after a while.
23i can barely look at that picture. its like a bowl of razorblades. cooked/canned doesn't affect me as much.
24Pineapple is also good with hot pepper sprinkled on it.
25mMm! PINEAPPLE! I had a pineapple margarita last week and hardly noticed the sting...of the fruit...
26Sometimes that happens if the pineapple is not ripe enough. Give it a few more days to ripen, until you can smell the sweetness at the base of the leaves at the top and then cut up. You do need to make sure you remove all the core and the "hard" parts because that is what iritates also. I love pineapple!!
27Ohhh! That explains it!
28Ah. I see. Pineapple is my most fave fruit growing up, hehe, and I always get that sensation on my tongue
But, it never discourages me from eating it! 
29Thanks for the tip.
Pineapple is also an excellent exfoliant, rub the inside of the skin on your own skin, a lot of cultures use it this way.
30I wonder if melon has the same thing, because I get that reaction after eating it. And I miss my honeydew and cantaloupe.
31just looking at the pictures gives my mouth tingling feeling, ack.
32I had gone to Hawaii for my honeymoon many moons ago (giggle) when I ate pineapple while out in the islands, I had no problems with it ripping up my mouth like it does here. Seems that I have the same issue with other fruits and the thing is, I just love fruit! Especially when someone else cuts it up! The pineapple in Hawaii is picked when ripe but the pineapple we get in the states is cut prior to it being ripe. Kind of like bananas, often they are still green in the store which is the way they are picked.
33i second moem's comment.
i just ate 25% of a honeydew melon, and the end of my tongue, the edges of where my upper lips meet my lower lips are all stinging, and are hurting. i had no idea that honeydew melons could sting so hard! next time i get any type of melon it'll be to juice it, no more eating slices for me!
34i get prickly feeling on my tongue too, but also with kiwi and pineaple it gives me prickly sensation on my face round my eyebrows and makes me feel all hot! what does this mean?
35this may sound wierd but when i eat pinapples my face and the back of my head tingles i hat the way it feels i wonder what it could be
36Every time I eat fresh pineapple, my mouth stings and I've always wondered why until I googled it and ended up here. Now I know.
37I love the fruit but man, it really tears up my tongue!! I also found out on here that this fruit is good to marinate meat in and I'm going to try it one of these days. I also will cut back on eating so much pineapple all at once!
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