Optimisation of Bromelain Enzyme Extraction from Pineapple (Ananas comosus) and Application in Process Industry

Bromelain is a general name for a family of sulfhydryl proteolytic enzymes obtained from Ananas comosus, the pineapple plant. The objective of the present study is to compare the activity of Bromelain from pineapple fruit and peel and to check the efficiency of this crude Bromelain enzyme in unhairing step in leather processing. The crude Bromelain was extracted and activity of enzyme was measured using tyrosine as standard and expressed in Units/mL of enzyme. The effect of preservatives such as sodium benzoate and sodium metabisulphite on the activity of the enzyme was studied for one week. The effect of pH (3-5) was studied using suitable pH buffer solutions. The kinetics of the proteolytic activity of the enzyme was studied using casein as substrate. It was found that the optimum pH of the crude extract was 4.5. In general enzyme activity got affected by the use of preservatives. The kinetic studies show that the activity of enzyme was increasing during initial period. The unhairing activity of crude extract of pH 4.5 was also studied using cow hide pieces. After 24 h treatment with the extracted crude Bromelain enzyme, good unhairing efficacy was achieved for leather making.