Papain

Papain is a hydrophobic (-SH) endopeptidase with protease and esterase activity, wide specificity, strong hydrolysis ability for plant and animal proteins, peptides, esters, amides, etc., and also has synthetic function, which can synthesize protein hydrolysates into protein-like substances. It is soluble in water and glycerol, and the aqueous solution is colorless or light yellow, sometimes milky white; it is almost insoluble in organic solvents such as ethanol, chloroform and ether. The most suitable pH value is 5.7 (generally 3 to 9.5), and it also works in neutral or slightly acidic conditions, with an isoelectric point of 18.75; the most suitable temperature is 55 to 60°C (generally 10 to 85°C), with strong heat resistance, and it will not be completely inactivated at 90°C; it is inhibited by oxidants and activated by reducing substances. The enzyme that is dried without clarification is a crude enzyme.

Papain is mainly used in the following areas: Ⅰ. Food industry: papain’s enzymatic reaction can be used to hydrolyze large molecular proteins in food into small molecular peptides or amino acids that are easy to absorb. It is widely used in: chicken, pig, cattle, seafood, blood products, soybeans, peanuts and other animal and plant protein hydrolysis, meat tenderizers, wine clarifiers, biscuit loosening agents, noodle stabilizers, Chemicalbook health foods, soy sauce brewing and wine fermentation agents, etc., which can improve the nutritional value of food and reduce costs. 2. Biscuit industry: reduce the wet gluten content of dough, improve the plasticity and physical and chemical properties of dough, and at the same time hydrolyze protein macromolecules into short peptides and amino acids, which is conducive to the complex Maillard reaction of sugars and amino substances, so that the product can be colored quickly, with a pleasing color and a glossy and fresh feeling.