The pineapple was cultivatedin South America for hundred of years, reaching Europe only in the 17thcentury. First appearing on the tables of the rich, it was proclaimed for its exquisitetaste. A recent review (Spence 2023) presents the culinary history, citing philosopherJohn Locke who argued the impossibility of describing pineapple flavour to someonelike himself who had yet to taste it. The review also covers chemistry about flavourcomponents and other molecules.
Pineapple (Ananas comusus, Bromeliaceae) is a monocot in the Poales, the same taxonomic order as grasses and reeds. It does photosynthesis via the CAM pathway (see Leaves 66 and 71: https://lnkd.in/d7Abxf-U, https://lnkd.in/dM6gP8N2). Some of the C₄ acid gets metabolised to other fruit acids and esters that together with otherphytochemicals account for the fruity taste.
Pineapple produces a protease enzyme called Bromelain. Proteases, made by all lifeforms, digest proteins into pieces by cutting links between chained amino acids. Proteases in the human gut enable us to digest the proteins we eat.
Bromelain is rather like Papain from papaya, a eudicot in the Brassicales order. Though the two enzymes are from taxonomically distant plants, they cut proteins in very similar ways(this from personal laboratory experience). Some readers will have used papain orbromelain in the kitchen as the active ingredient in meat tenderiser. Spence(2023) states that Bromelain mildly digests tastebud proteins, giving pineapplea flavour boost.
Bromelain also has interesting medical utility. In severe burns, a dead tissue layer called #eschar forms, and is detrimental to the wound-healing process. Burn treatment sometimes involves surgical or chemical “debridement” to remove the eschar. Here Bromelain can be used to digestaway the necrotic tissue, allowing healing to proceed. Kriger et al (2017) present compelling evidence that applying bromelain-laced gel to severe hand burnssignificantly improves outcome.
The better way to enjoy pineapple is by eating it, but ìn moderation to preserve your tastebuds for other flavours.
Furtherreading
• Spence C (2023) Are pineapples really delicious? The history of the pineapple's taste/flavour and the role of varietal and terroir. International Journal of Gastronomy and Food Science, 100682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijgfs.2023.100682
• Krieger Y et al (2017) Bromelain-based enzymatic debridement and minimal invasivemodality (mim) care of deeply burned hands. Ann burns and fire disasters,30(3), 198–204. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5946757/
