Cysteine Proteases in Food Industry: From Meat Tenderization to Gluten Hydrolysis and Beyond

Cysteine proteases constitute a significant class of enzymes that are characterized by a highly conserved catalytic mechanism involving a nucleophilic cysteine residue. These enzymes, sourced from plants, microorganisms, and animals, exhibit remarkable versatility and have become indispensable tools in various industrial sectors, particularly the food industry. This comprehensive review synthesizes current knowledge on the biochemical properties and diverse applications of cysteine proteases, with a specific focus on their roles in meat tenderization, milk coagulation, gluten hydrolysis, and other industrial processes. The research methodology employed involved a systematic literature review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed studies published between ۲۰۲۰ and ۲۰۲۶, with data extracted from major scientific databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. The findings reveal that plant-derived proteases such as papain, bromelain, ficin, actinidin, and zingibain demonstrate significant efficacy in improving meat tenderness through targeted hydrolysis of myofibrillar and connective tissue proteins, with zingibain showing superior collagen degradation. Furthermore, novel cysteine peptidases from Moringa oleifera and Pergularia tomentosa exhibit promising milk-clotting properties with favorable cleavage sites on κ-casein, offering viable alternatives to traditional animal rennet. Microbial proteases from Bacillus subtilis demonstrate exceptional stability and diverse applications including fabric stain removal and silver recovery from X-ray films. The review also highlights emerging applications in gluten hydrolysis for celiac disease management and the potential of novel technological interventions such as ultrasound-assisted processing and enzyme immobilization. This comprehensive analysis underscores the critical role of cysteine proteases in advancing food processing technologies and identifies key areas for future research, including bioinformatics-driven enzyme engineering and sustainable extraction methodologies from untapped plant sources.

کلیدواژه ها:

Cysteine proteases ، Meat tenderization ، Milk coagulation ، Gluten hydrolysis ، Zingibain ، Actinidin ، Bacillus subtilis