| MadSci Network: Biochemistry |
I am a 10th grade chemistry student. I plan to do an experiment where I place the enzyme found in papaya (papain), pineapple (bromelain), kiwi (actinidin) and possibly a fig (ficin) on pieces of meat to see which one “tenderizerizes” the meat the fastest. My first question is: what is the approximate concentration/percentage of the enzyme found in each fruit? Per my research, I found that those enzymes are classified as sulhydryl proteases and are closely related to the serine proteases. Both types of these proteases break down complex proteins. For example, in tenderizing meat, papain “breaks down the protein chains and the peptide bonds between amino acids found in complex proteins,” also known as collagen. The serine proteases, such as pepsin performs a similar process in breaking down food for digestion. Since these two groups of proteases are closely related, my second question is: What, if any, are their differences (such as structure, reactions, chemical processes/compositions) in a fairly straight-forward explanation? Lastly, any reason why papain is the most commonly used commercial tenderizer versus the other enzymes? Thank you, Scott
Re: How Do the Proteases Found in Papaya, Pineapple and Kiwi Tenderize Meat?
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