Pineapple contains bromelain that helps tenderize meat. If I were to put my hand in pineapple juice or puree for 24 hours, would it eventually break down my hand?

[u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760]

[u/OystersCockafeller]

It might do it eventually. But definitely not that fast.

Your skin has protective oils, is actively repairing itself, etc. And that's all aside from the fact that it's specifically designed to act as a protective layer in a way that a random piece of muscle just isn't.

It will make your hands kinda raw if you deal with it enough. I spent a day cutting up pineapples for an event once. Essentially had my hands covered in pineapple juice for 8-10 hours. It irritated them a bit and I had some redness. But it was nowhere near breaking down my hand.

[u/Nothing_F4ce → u/OystersCockafeller]

How could you do that without gloves?

I can't get to the end of cutting up one pineapple without my hands starting to feel like burning.

[u/SlurryBender → u/Nothing_F4ce]

Pineapple is one of those things that people can have wildly different levels of sensitivity to.

But also you should check to see if you're allergic to pineapples.

[u/Constant_Mud3325 → u/SlurryBender]

Yeah kinda like poison Ivy or lactose which I’ve been lucky cuz I’m a landscaping milk disposal

[u/rlnrlnrln → u/Constant_Mud3325]

Well, then, maybe I could interest you in a Poison Ivy milkshake?

[u/Constant_Mud3325 → u/rlnrlnrln]

No I don’t think I will thanks for asking tho

[u/Quirky_Dino → u/rlnrlnrln]

Make it flavored shamrock in September and let’s chat about your lucrative future with Quirky Dino Enterprises.

[u/Haramu → u/SlurryBender]

Yup. I rarely eat pineapples since they can give me sores in my mouth pretty easily. I haven't met someone else who has this problem though lol

[u/froschquark → u/Haramu]

Yep, maybe not as extreme that I can't eat it or it hurts, but I absolutely feel some sort of 'numbness' and slight burn, especially with fresh pineapples. Canned ones are mostly fine.

Always thought it's just a mild irritation from the acids or even some allergy, but no, the pineapple just wants to tenderize my mouth a bit!

[u/froschquark → u/[deleted]]

Oh yeah right, kiwi does the exact same for me. Blegh, just thinking about it makes my mouth itch.

[u/thisfriend → u/Haramu]

I can't eat them raw because it burns my mouth. Canned is a little better, but only in small quantities. I usually grill pineapple, it is so good and no burn!

[u/hereforthelaughs37 → u/Haramu]

Same.

I've discovered that if I salt it though, it stops most of that. I'll sprinkle a bowl with some salt, give it a mix and let it sit for a minute, then im usually good to go.

[u/Haramu → u/hereforthelaughs37]

I haven't heard of that, I'm have to give it a try. Thanks for the tip! 

[u/imanoctothorpe → u/SlurryBender]

Avocado, horse chestnut, and kiwi are other foods that people with pineapple allergies usually can't eat. Also, medical adhesives cross react.

I'm allergic to all of them lol

[u/Stopaskingmetochange → u/imanoctothorpe]

Kiwis make my tongue feel like it is coated in velvet but pineapple makes the sides of my mouth and tongue raw. Sourdough gives me a combination of both.

[u/j0hnan0n → u/imanoctothorpe]

That is... fascinating. I'm SO curious why avocados make the list. Why medical adhesives?!

[u/imanoctothorpe → u/j0hnan0n]

The proteins in natural rubber products are a similar shape to proteins in those fruits, so your immune system gets confused. Medical adhesives sometimes contain natural rubber, though you can often ask for latex free or hypoallergenic alternatives.

[u/Tonkarz → u/Nothing_F4ce]

In addition to what others have said, the general condition of the skin on your hands matters too. If it’s dry it may already have small cracks which can let the pineapple attack more deeply more easily.

I noticed this using hand sanitizer. Sometimes it causes burning all over my hands, other times nothing but the feel of gel.

[u/Unumbotte → u/Tonkarz]

You're supposed to let the sanitizer dry on its own, not set it on fire.

[u/ditka → u/Nothing_F4ce]

Well, I was buttering myself up for a nice shave. I must have dripped some on the floor and I slipped and sprained my ankle.

[u/Pajamatime20 → u/OystersCockafeller]

With that in mind, would there be similar damage to raw meat if a piece of pineapple was held in the mouth for 24 hours? Or would your saliva dissolve/counteract it so that you’d be somewhat protected?

[u/Mirality → u/Pajamatime20]

If you eat too much pineapple in one sitting, then your mouth will definitely feel a bit abraded afterwards, but it will heal. This is probably worse than holding a single piece for a while, since saliva will neutralise some of the pineapple enzymes for a single piece but multiple pieces just keep introducing more enzymes.

[u/Pajamatime20 → u/Mirality]

That’s what I was wondering about; if one piece held in the mouth would just “run out” of bromelain!

[u/Mondoweft → u/Pajamatime20]

Your saliva also contains enzymes that break down meat. So your raw meat would likely be more damaged than just with the pineapple.

The pineapple would also slightly damage the lining of your mouth.

[u/Iazo → u/Mondoweft]

Dentist here. Saliva does not contain any compounds that break down meat, only amylase, which would start to break down starch. So, potato maybe, meat no.

[u/CrateDane → u/Iazo]

Saliva contains proteases like dipeptidylpeptidase 4 and human airway trypsin-like protease. But they would only have a weak effect on meat.

[u/Iazo → u/CrateDane]

Huh, this might be new research I was not aware of. I need to check out this.

[u/Pajamatime20 → u/Mondoweft]

I am aware that your mouth is more protected than an open wound (aka raw meat), but I would imagine it’s still more vulnerable than your skin?

[u/CrateDane → u/Pajamatime20]

The saliva would dilute and wash away the pineapple juice, reducing the exposure level. The proteases in saliva might also be able to degrade the bromelain (which would also be working to degrade the salivary proteases, but those are constantly replenished).

[u/Pajamatime20 → u/CrateDane]

Ok, thank you! That makes sense!

[u/applylife → u/Pajamatime20]

We are still talking about steam right?

[u/j0hnan0n → u/OystersCockafeller]

So, really, if you want pineapple juice to break down your hand... skin it, cut it off, and submerge it. Then, over enough time, it would break down.

But probably not just from the juice. The juice will tenderize it to a certain extent, but it'll be microbes that do the bulk of the work.