Tenderization of Meat with Ginger Rhizome Protease

ABSTRACT Beef steaks and sliced beef marinated with different levels of crude ginger extract were evaluated for the tenderness and structural changes. A significant (P<0.05) enhancement of tenderness with increasing amounts of ginger extract was observed at low levels of extract (0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 mL/6.5 cm 2 for the steaks; 0, 0.25, 0.5, and 1 mL/lOOg for the sliced beef), whereas further improvement of tenderness at more than 0.2 mL/6.5 cm 2 or 1 mL/lOOg was minimal. Electron microscopy of the treated beef revealed the preferential degradation of thin filaments in the I‐bands, resulting in extensive fragmentation of myofibrils. Thus, ginger rhizome protease is an effective meat tenderizer and the tenderization is achieved through preferential degradation of thin filaments.