I think you're referring to the part where Pi describes what he finds in the middle of the "fruit" on page 280:
"And then it came to light, an unspeakable pearl at the heart of a green oyster. A human tooth. A molar, to be exact. The surface stained green and finely pierced with holes." In this metaphor, the "fruit" is compared to an oyster, and the tooth is compared to a pearl that you would find in the oyster.
This discovery causes Pi to refer to the island as carnivorous because at night, the fresh water becomes so acidic that it eats away at anything that gets caught in the water at nighttime. Pi also figures the trees are also acidic, and this is why he finds a tooth in each of the balls of leaves. The tree had wrapped itself around the person who had been there before Pi and eaten away at everything. All that was left of him or her were teeth.
This discovery causes Pi to have to leave the island and take his chances on the lifeboat with Richard Parker.
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