How can I tell which fruits etc. contain proteases?
After my second attempt at making a ginger mousse with gelatin and finding that it fails, I've discovered that fresh ginger contains a protease. I knew that pineapple does, and that it complicates making pineapple jelly, but I didn't realise that ginger does too.
Is there an authoritatively sourced and fairly complete list of fruits etc. which require cooking when making jellies? (Note that I'm not asking for a bunch of answers consisting of a single fruit, and such answers will likely be downvoted). Or is there some quick and simple way to tell whether a fruit contains proteases?
Best Answer
Enzymes which degrade proteins, called proteases, are found in many fruits. There is no simple test for it other than holding some in your mouth and seeing if it "eats" your flesh away after a few minutes
Commercial test are not practical or portable as they require maceration, heating, centrifuging and using florescent dye markers. Or just make some in gelatine and see what happens :-)
A quick list would be:
- Fig - Ficin
- Ginger - zingipain
- Kiwi fruit - Actinidin
- Papaya (Pawpaw) - Papain
- Pineapple - Bromelain
Also to a lesser extent
- Banana
- Guava
- Mango
It is in many other fruits, but at levels where they will not be a problem, of course at different levels depending on the specific fruit variety etc.
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Quick Answer about "How can I tell which fruits etc. contain proteases?"
Which fruits contain proteases?
Some fruits contain proteases; for example, pineapple, papaya, kiwi, and figs contain the proteases bromelain, papain, actinidin, and ficin, respectively.Do strawberries have protease?
Extra: In this activity you explored fruits that contain proteases, but many fruits do not contain proteases. You could repeat this activity using apples, blueberries, oranges, raspberries and strawberries\u2014all of which do not have proteases.Why do fruits have protease?
Fruits contain enzymes Fruits like papaya, kiwifruit, pineapple and figs all contain enzymes called proteases. Proteases speed up the breakdown of proteins.What fruits can you not put in Jell-O?
Key Takeaways: Fruits That Ruin Gelatin Proteases are enzymes that break chemical bonds in proteins, such as collagen in gelatin. Pineapple, kiwi, papaya, mango, and guava are examples of fruits that cause a problem. Heat inactivates proteases, so cooking fruit before adding it to gelatin prevents any issue.Practical 4.6 Design an investigation of protease activity in different fruit juices
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Images: Omotayo Tajudeen, cottonbro, Kristina Paukshtite, cottonbro