3. TENDERIZING AGENTS
• Tenderizers are meant to be natural enzymes
or acids that break down the meat fibres,
making the meat softer to chew on.
4. Uses of tenderizing agents
• Makes the meat soft
• Enhance the taste
• Breaks the tissues
• Helps in getting shape
5. RAW PAPAYA
• Raw Papaya – papaya contains an enzyme
called Papain. This is a digestive enzyme that
is often found in the leaves, skin and the flesh
of the papaya. Normally a raw papaya is
grated and the flesh is both crushed in a food
processor and spread on the meat or the juice
squeezed out and mixed with the remaining
ingredients of the marinade.
6. PINEAPPLE
• Pineapple – pineapples contain a proteolytic
enzyme called bromelain, which is its
tenderizing agent.
• Primarily the juice is used but prolonged
marinating may turn the meat soft and mushy.
• The pineapple or rather its enzyme,
bromelain, has been used in a wide variety of
medical applications including weight loss,
arthritis and haemorrhoids.
7. FIGS
• Figs – were usually reserved for nobility and
the rich due to its exotic value and expense.
Figs contain the enzyme ficin, which helps to
render the meat tender.
8. POMEGRANATE SEEDS
• Dried pomegranate seeds – these are
crushed, then used as a rub or sprinkled in the
marinade. They have a distinct tangy and
pleasant flavor.
9. GINGER AND GARLIC
• Ginger and garlic – although they both
possess tenderizing properties, they would
have to be used in huge quantities to produce
the desired effect which in turn may
overpower the food. I could not be bothered
to clean huge mountainous mounds of the
stuff in the hope of tenderizing a scrawny little
chicken.
