Tenderization+of+Meat+and+Enzymes+(James+McCann)

__Tenderization of Meat and Enzymes__

Beef usually is the most variable meat in tenderness followed by lamb, pork, and veal. The tenderness variation from species to species is mainly due to the chronological age of the animal at time of slaughter. Beef is normally processed at approximately 20 months of age, lamb at 8 months, pork at 5 months, and veal at approximately 2 months of age.

Are you ever sick of getting to a restaraunt, sitting down with the menu looking forward to getting that steak you dreamed about all day long, until suddenly you get this slab of dry hard piece of beef and feel like crying?? If so then read on and go back to these restaraunts and share your knowledge of how meat can be tenderized with the help of just a few simple enzymes.
 * __The Beginning:__**

There are a number of vegetable enzymes such as papain (papaya), bromelain (pineapple), and ficin (fig) used to tenderize meat both commercially and in the home. These tenderizers can be applied either in liquid form or in powder form.

Papain is most often produced as a crude, dried material by collecting the latex from the fruit of the papaya tree. Papain is the most temperature stable and can often hold a temperature of up to 185 degrees (F) until it becomes unstabe. This is why it is so helpful when cooking meats at such high temperatures. HOWEVER, this has its disadvantages. If a piece of meat is cooked up to what we call "Medium Rare" it will not reach a temperature high enough to inactivate the papain. Thus, extra storage of the meat will allow the enzyme to continue to tenderize the piece of meat and if this is done over too long a period will produce a mushy unpalatable texture. The only way to avoid this is to cook the meat in an organized fashion with a set time and temperature, not allowing it to get too high or too low. Papain works with hydrolysis in adding water to the meat to tenderize it.
 * __Papain:[[image:papaya.jpg width="136" height="113" align="right"]]__**

Bromelain is protease from the fruit of Pineapple. Bromelain is prepared from the root portion of the pineapple plant after harvest of the fruit. This stump or root portion is collected from the fields, peeled and crushed to extract the juice containing the soluble Bromelain enzyme. These products are all supplied as powders. Over 95% of the meat obtained in the US is tenderized from one of these two fruits. Bromelin has a lower temperature of inactivation. The temperature of inactivation of Bromelain is around 160 degrees (F), which, again, will not be high enough for inactivation in a medium rare piece of beef. Because of the close relationship between these two it is important that either one used is kept at the same time and temperature rate as the other. Bromelain is also very helpful in digesting starch and fat. It works in close relation with amylase and lipase - other enzymes. Due to this it is ok and rather helpful for someone to obtain Bromelain.
 * __Bromelain__**


 * SOURCES!!!!!!!!!**

http://www.enzymedevelopment.com/html/applications/protein.html http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ0856.html http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsSupplements/Bromelaincs.html