Last Updated on October 27, 2021 by Team THIP
Quick Take
A fake image has been doing rounds on multiple platforms in internet. The image shows photo of a blue water melon and claims that it is Moon Melon – a melon breed that is cultivated in Japan. The image has been shared on Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp since 2014 and has been fact checked a number of times. We found out that the message is False.
The Claim
The claim has been shared as an individual image on Pinterest as given below. Many websites have listed it down with a description. Few have even attached a price tag of 16,000 yen (roughly $200) with it.
Fact Check
Does Moon Melon exist?
No. There is no fruit or vegetable that is called Moon melon. The blue watermelon in the image is clearly altered in Photoshop. Fact-checking websites Snopes.com had debunked this back in 2014. You can read the report here.
Is there any other fruit that exist with similar characteristics?
There is no fruit that matches the colour and looks of the image.
However, the description that claims of a characteristics that cause ‘flavours to switch’ matches with a fruit called Miracle Berry that grows in West Africa. Miracle Berry reportedly produces a protein called miraculin that can temporarily alter tastes as we experience it ( eg. it can make sweet taste bland )
The fruit or its extract is often sold in frozen, powdered or tablet form and advertised as ‘taste altering fruit’ or something that can ‘make sour taste sweet’
However, it needs to be noted that Miracle Berry doesn’t look like ‘Blue Watermelon’. They are small red berries (refer to the image below):
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