Specific degradation of myosin in meat by bromelain

The specificity of bromelain and papain for degradation of actin and myosin in meat was compared. Meat was treated with 0·1% enzyme for 0–60 min at 24°C and proteins, extracted with 6 urea containing 2% sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) solution, were separated by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). The profile of the extracted proteins clearly indicated that papain degrades myosin and actin at similar rates, whereas bromelain degrades myosin preferentially. This distinction could be useful in the development of freeze-dried meat products in which toughening of the meat due to the formation of high molecular weight aggregates from myosin cross-linking is minimized.