Papain

Papain is a powerful digestive enzyme commonly found and extracted from the papaya fruit. It is also referred to as papaya proteinase. The enzyme plays a crucial role in digestive processes involving breaking down tough protein fibers. For this reason, it has been commonly used in its native South America for thousands of years in the digestion of meats.

History

The history of Papain dates back to the ancient Maya civilization, who were the first to discover the benefits of Papain. They used it for various purposes, including meat tenderization, wound healing, and as a digestive aid.

Structure

Papain is a cysteine protease (EC 3.4.22.2) that cleaves peptide bonds of basic amino acids, leucine, or glycine. It consists of 212 amino acids stabilized by three disulfide bridges.

Uses

Papain has a wide range of uses in various industries. It is used in the food industry as a meat tenderizer and in the beer industry for chillproofing beers. In the pharmaceutical industry, it is used in various treatments such as throat infections and digestion problems.

Side Effects

While Papain is generally safe for most people when taken by mouth in amounts found in foods, it can cause allergic reactions in some people.

See Also

• Protease
• Papaya
• Digestive enzyme

References

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