Question

Based on your observations and understanding of enzymes how do you think meat tenderizers and lens cleaners work?

Answer 1

The meat tenderisers contain enzymes called as proteolytic enzymes or proteases.

These enzymes break dowm the peptide bonds present in between the amino acids of protein in meat . The breaking of these bonds , break up the protein present in meat and makes the meat softer and easier to digest .

One such enzyme is enzyme papain , which is present in raw papaya , so raw papaya works as excellent tenderiser for red meat .

The lens cleaners also contain enzymes such as papain , pancreatin and subtilisin .These enzymes present in lens solution remove the proteins from the lens surface and prevent their build up which could otherwise damage the lens and irritate the eyes.