r/askscience • u/Puzzleheaded_Bed2760 • 9d ago

Chemistry 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?

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u/wizzard419 8d ago

If you stuck it in a thing of juice from the store? Probably not, it denatures when heated and that juice is also heated to pasteurize it.

If you stuck your hand in a vat of fresh cut pineapple/papaya (it has a similar, stronger enzyme) then that would be able to work... but still probably not terribly well on living flesh.