Bromelin is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes isolated from the juice of Ananas comosus (pineapple), belonging to family Bromeliaceae.
BROMELIN
Synonyms
Bromelin, bromelain.
Biological Source
Bromelin is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes isolated from
the juice of Ananas comosus
(pineapple), belonging to family Bromeliaceae.
Geographical Source
Pineapple is a native of tropical America. It is grown in
almost all parts of the world including India, China, Thai-land, United States,
Brazil, Philippines, Mexico, Hawaii, and Taiwan.
Cultivation, Collection, and Preparation
Bromelin is found in pineapple fruit juice and stem.
Pine-apple is perennial, and it does not have a natural period of dormancy. It
is propagated through suckers, slips, and crowns. In India it is planted in
August, the plant generally flowers in February–March, and the fruit ripens
during July–October.
The fruits must be left on the plant to ripen for the full flavour to develop. Dark green unripe fruits gradually change to yellow and finally to deep orange. The fruits are cut off. The enzyme bromelin does not disappear as the fruit ripens. The enzyme from fruit and stem are known as fruit bromelin and stem bromelin, respectively. It is isolated from pineapple juice by precipitation with acetone and also with ammonium sulphide
Characteristics
The optimum pH of bromelain is 5.0–8.0. In solution pH below
3.0 and above 9.5 inactivates the enzyme. The optimum temperature is between 50
and 60°C, still it is effective between 20 and 65°C too. The moisture content
should not exceed 6%. It is obtained in light brown-coloured powder.
Chemical Constituents
Bromelain is not a single substance, but rather a
collection of enzymes and other compounds. It is a mixture of
sulphur-containing protein-digesting enzymes, called proteolytic enzymes or
proteases. It also contains several other substances in smaller quantities,
including peroxidase, acid phosphatase, protease inhibitors, and calcium.
Uses
Bromelain is an effective fibrinolytic agent; bromelain
inhibits platelet aggregation and seems to have both direct as well as indirect
actions involving other enzyme systems in
one of the primary uses of bromelain in several foreign countries; it
can modify the permeability of organs and tissues to different drugs. The potentiation
of antibiotics and other medicines by bromelain may be due to enhanced
absorption, as well as increased permeability of the diseased tissue which
enhances the access of the antibiotic to the site of the infection. It is also
thought that the use of bromelain may provide a similar access to specific and
nonspecific components of the immune system, therefore, enhancing the body’s
utilization of its own healing resources. Bro-melain has been used successfully
as a digestive enzyme following pancreatectomy, in cases of exocrine pancreas
insufficiency and in other intestinal disorders. Research has indicated that
bromelain prevents or minimizes the severity of angina pectoris and transcient
ischemic attacks (TIA); it is useful in the prevention and treatment of
thrombosis and thrombophlebitis. If administered for prolonged time periods,
bromelain also exerts an antihypertensive effect in experimental animals. It
may even be useful in the treat-ment of AIDS to stop the spread of HIV. It has
no major side effects, except for possible allergic reactions.
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