Bromelain

Description

Bromelains (Ananase) is a mixture of proteolyticenzymes obtained from the pineapple plant. It isproposed for use in the treatment of soft-tissue inflammationand edema associated with traumatic injury, localized inflammation,and postoperative tissue reactions.

Chemical properties

White to light brownish yellow amorphous powder.
Soluble in water,insoluble in ethanol, chloroform and ether.

The Uses of Bromelain

Bromelain is used as a natural anti-inflammatory for conditions such as arthritis.

Definition

ChEBI: Bromelain is a milk-clotting proteolytic enzyme. It is precipitated from pineapple juice with acetone or ammonium sulfide. Protein-digesting and milk-clotting enzymes found in PINEAPPLE fruit juice and stem tissue. Enzymes from the two sources are distinguished as fruit bromelain and stem bromelain. This enzyme was formerly listed as EC 3.4.22.4.

The Uses of Bromelain

Bromelain has been found to be used to tenderize meat, chill-proof beer, and produce protein hydrolysates.

Preparation

Bromelain is prepared from the juice of cooled pineapple through ultrafiltration, centrifugation, and lyophilization, which results in the production of a yellow powder. This process can succeed in a wide range of pH values.

General Description

Bromelain is a crude extract from pineapple that contains a mixture of different proteases as well as phosphatases, glucosidases, peroxidases, cellulases, glycoproteins, and carbohydrates. Of the different proteases available in a bromelain mixture, commercial bromelain is usually produced from the stem part (stem bromelain), although other pineapple parts contain a certain amount of bromelain as well. Bromelain is an effective anticancer therapeutic agent, as a result of the systemic response to multiple cellular and molecular targets induced by this enzyme; however, the real underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully understood. Also, this enzyme has the potential to be used as an antibiotic since it can modify the permeability of organs and tissues to different drugs. Moreover, bromelain is used in a debridement cream formulation to eliminate burn debris and accelerate the healing process, and can inhibit platelet aggregation, especially for patients affected with heart attack and stroke, and reduce arthritis pathogenesis since it has analgesic properties that can influence pain mediators, and prevent diarrhea by interacting with intestinal secretory signaling pathways. In addition to food and medical applications, bromelain is used in the cosmetic industry to treat various skin conditions. It is also used as a stain remover in teeth cleaning/whitening. In the textile industry, it is used to improve the dyeing properties of protein fibers such as wool and silk and assist in the cocoon-softening process in silk production.

What are the applications of Application

Baking Industry: In the baking industry, bromelain is used for improving dough quality and rise. Gluten is a major component of wheat. As Gluten is insoluble in water, it forms a lattice-like structure. Bromelain removes gluten from wheat, ensuring proper dough formation. Bromelain is also used to produce flour of hypoallergic nature.
Catering:Bromelain helps in the hydrolysis of myofibril proteins in meat, chicken, and oyster. The protease activity of the enzyme bromelain breaks collagen fiber leading to meat tenderization process. The sulfhydryl group of cysteine in the protease is responsible for the proteolytic action of collagen fiber, leading to the process of tenderization that makes the meat more palatable.
Alcohol supply: Bromelain is used for enhancing the stability of the protein and preventing haziness in beer. Bromelain enhances the stability of the white-wine protein. The bromelain isolated from the stem was active at the minimum pH value of wine and showed an increase in the Ka value by 42%, acting as an alcoholic-acid buffer and thereby acting as an excellent protease enzyme in the production and stabilization of wine.
Cosmetic: Bromelain can be used to treat acne and wrinkles, and to reduce swelling, bruising and drying of the skin. Bromelain proteolyses the protein of the upper layer of skin cells, paving a way for the replacement of young cells. The study also reports that the application of bromelain on the skin reduces the bruises caused during cosmetic surgeries.

Mechanism of action

The major action of bromelain appears to be proteolytic in nature, although evidence also suggests an immunomodulatory and hormone-like activity acting via intracellular signaling pathways. Bromelain has been shown to reduce cell surface receptors, such as hyaluronan receptor CD44, which is associated with leukocyte migration and induction of proinflammatory mediators. Additionally, it is also reported to significantly reduce CD4 + T-cell infiltrations, which are primary effectors in animal models of inflammation in the gut. It has been found to be effective in improvement of clinical and histologic severity of colonic inflammation in a murine colitis model of IL-10-deficient mice[1].

References

[1] Salibay, Cristina C., et al. "Natural product–derived drugs for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD)." Inflammation and Natural Products (2021).