#bromelain

Bromelain is an enzyme extracted from pineapple (Ananas comosus). Its name comes from the pineapple’s family name—Bromeliaceae, the bromeliads. Enzymes are a type of protein that act as a biocatalyst, which means that they help accelerate chemical reactions in cells. When bromelain comes into contact with collagen, a key protein that binds together muscle tissues, it accelerates a reaction where water breaks apart the collagen’s chemical bonds. Under normal circumstances this is a slow or insignificant process, but with bromelain’s help the collagen begins to break apart rapidly. Eventually the affected muscle tissue becomes mushy. For this reason it is commonly used as a meat tenderizer to make meats like steak softer before eating. However these enzymes don’t discriminate. What breaks down a cut of steak also breaks down your tongue. In other words: when you chew the pineapple, the pineapple chews you back. Heat denatures, or deactivates, the bromelain, so cooked or canned pineapple does not have the same effect.