Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello! I am doing the "Why Aren't All Medicines Pills?" experiment.
I need to know just how meat tenderizer represents a stomach environment.
I can find nothing online .
Please help, and thank you!

Hello,

This looks like a fun project! The meat tenderizer represents the enzymes called proteases in your stomach that break down proteins to digest food. The two most common enzymes in meat tenderizer are papain and bromelain but there are many more in our stomachs.

Hope this helps,

Audrey

Thank You!
Yes, I noticed Bromelain was in meat tenderizer.
If I was going to try different ingredients found in the meat tenderizer, to see which one affects the artificial insulin, would you suggest doing dextrose, salt, and calcium silicate?
Or would you suggest doing different types of enzymes? (and if so what are some inexpensive suggestions?- I did find powder Bromelain pills that were relatively cheap)
Thanks so much!

I would suggest trying different types of enzymes on the artificial insulin, not the other tenderizer ingredients (dextrose, salt, calcium silicate). You could compare pure bromelain to different brands of meat tenderizer that have different ingredients (bromelain + papain) or look for other proteases/enzymes that may be available. Some other common meat tenderizers that might be inexpensive would be ficin, actinidin, and calpain.

Good luck!

Audrey