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The effects of antemortem injected crude papain in chicken muscle on muscle protein hydrolysis were investigated. White Leghorn hens were injected intravenously prior to slaughter with crude papain or heat denatured crude papain. Collagen solubility (hydroxyproline) at 60°C was 210% of the heat denatured crude papain control. SDS‐PAGE revealed no difference between treatments. Crude papain was unable to penetrate intact cells at physiological temperatures. A small but significant increase in muscle TCA soluble tyrosine was observed due to antemortem papain treatment. Postmortem papain treatment resulted in a 14 fold increase in tyrosine. Little if any intracellular muscle protein hydrolysis occurred as a result of antemortem papain treatment. Collagen hydrolysis may be the major contributor to antemortem papain induced meat tenderness.
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Brooks et al. (1985) studied this question.
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