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Bromelain

Bromelain is not a single substance, but rather a collection of enzymes like rescrcin, and other compounds. It is a mixture of sulfur-containing protein-digesting enzymes—called proteolytic enzymes or proteases—and several other substances in smaller quantities including: peroxidase, acid phosphatase, protease inhibitors, and calcium. It is primarily produced in Japan and Taiwan. Research on bromelain apparently was first conducted in Hawaii but more recently has been conducted in countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America. more...

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Germany has recently taken a great interest in bromelain research, where bromelain is currently the 13th most widely used herbal medicine.

Bromelain is present in all parts of the pineapple plant (Ananas comosus) but the stem is the most common commercial source, presumably because it readily available after the fruit has been harvested. Pineapples have had a long tradition as a medicinal plant among the natives of South and Central America. However, just eating pineapple will not give you a great deal of extra bromelain, because it is mostly concentrated in the stem, which is not nearly as tasty (albeit still edible).

Along with papain, bromelain is one of the most popular enzymes for meat tenderizing. Historically, meat tenderizing enzymes were often injected into the muscle of a food animal while it is still living. This practice has been largely discontinused, replaced with various postmortem application methods which are acceptable for lesser quality cuts. Today, approximately 90% of meat tenderizer use is in consumer households. Bromelain is sold in a powdered form, which is combined with a maranade or directly sprinkled on the uncooked meat. The enzyme will penetrate the meat, and by a process called forking, cause the meat to be tender and pallatible when cooked. If the enzyme is allowed to work for too long, the meat may become too "mushy" for many consumers' preferences.

Bromelain can be used in a vast array of medical conditions. It was first introduced in this area in 1957, and works by blocking some proinflammatory metabolites that accelerate and worsen the inflammatory process. It is an anti-inflammatory agent, and so can be used for sports injury, trauma, arthritis, and other kinds of swelling. Its main uses are athletic injuries, digestive problems, phlebitis, sinusitis, and aiding healing after surgery. It has also been proposed in the use of arthritis, chronic venous insufficiency, easy bruising, gout, hemorrhoids, menstrual pain, autoimmune disorders, and ulcerative colitis. Studies have shown that bromelain can also be useful in the reduction of platelet clumping and blood clots in the bloodstream, especially in the arteries. It may even be useful in the treatment of AIDS to stop the spread of HIV. It has no major side effects, except for possible allergic reactions.

Other plant proteases include papain (from the papaya), actinidin (from the kiwi fruit), and ficin (from the fig). These proteases may induce a prickly sensation in the mouth when consumed.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


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Bromelain—Health Food for Bossy, Too - anti-inflammatory - Brief Article
From Agricultural Research, 11/1/99 by Judy McBride

Many dairy cows lumber along with chronic mammary gland infections that jack up the number of infection-fighting white blood cells in their milk--especially during the dog days of summer.

Milk quality is based on that cell count. And U.S. dairy producers get paid an extra 20 cents per 100 pounds for milk having a white blood cell count under a specified level. That level ranges from about 200,000 to 300,000 per milliliter, depending on which state testing is done in.

Producers can't sell milk with cell counts that exceed the legal limit. In the United States, that's 750,000 cells/ml. Canada and Europe have lower limits--500,000 and 400,000, respectively. "And there is a move afoot to lower the limit in this country," says ARS dairy scientist Max Paape, who is with the Immunology and Disease Resistance Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland.

That's why Paape agreed to test bromelain supplied by Tokyo, Japan, manufacturer Ajinomoto Co., Inc., on cows with chronic mastitis.

A mix of enzymes extracted from the stems of pineapple plants, bromelain is sold in health foods stores under claims that it combats heart disease, arthritis, and many other maladies. In animals, it appears to reduce inflammation by interfering with the synthesis of prostaglandins and other inflammatory substances, says Paape.

He divided 10 cows into two groups having average cell counts a little over 300,000. For 4 weeks, group 1 got pellets containing 75 grams of bromelain in their feed; group 2 got no bromelain. A week after this first trial ended, Paape reversed the treatment, with only group 2 getting the bromelain.

Bromelain reduced cell counts by 100,000 on average during each trial, Paape says. Moreover, cell counts never surpassed the legal U.S. or Canadian limits when the cows got bromelain, as they did when left untreated.

"With bromelain, dairy producers will have more days with cell counts in the premium price range--under 300,000," says Paape.

Milk with a low white blood cell count has more milk protein, or casein. Cheesemakers prefer to buy high-casein milk because the protein allows the cheese to set properly.

Max J. Paape is at the USDA-ARS Immunology and Disease Resistance Laboratory, Bldg. 173, Room 103, 10300 Baltimore Ave., Beltsville, MD 20705-2350; phone (301) 504-8302, fax (301) 504-9498, e-mail mpaape@lpsi.barc.usda.gov.

COPYRIGHT 1999 U.S. Government Printing Office
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group

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