Bromelain 750 mg from LUTO Supplements
Bromelain is a natural enzyme complex from the pineapple plant. This supplement from LUTO Supplements provides 750 mg of bromelain per capsule, with an enzyme activity of 4500 F.I.P. The capsules are time-release, so they release their contents gradually. They are vegan, and with 180 capsules and one per day, you have a generous supply.
What bromelain is
Bromelain is not a single enzyme, but a mixture of protein-splitting enzymes that occur naturally in pineapples. The stem of the plant is the richest source, and that is also where it is extracted from for supplements. Fresh pineapple also contains it, but in a much lower concentration than a capsule. You would have to eat quite a lot of pineapple to get anywhere near a supplement dose. After extraction, a concentrated, standardized powder remains, which is then put into capsules. Thanks to this standardization, every capsule contains the same enzyme activity, batch after batch.
How bromelain works
Bromelain belongs to the proteases, enzymes that can cut proteins. Mechanically, it is a cysteine protease: at the heart of the enzyme is a sulfur-containing amino acid that acts like scissors. It recognizes a protein chain and cuts the peptide bonds, the bonds that link the individual amino acids together. In plain English: it breaks down large proteins into smaller pieces. How quickly that happens depends on acidity and temperature. We deliberately make no statements about what this means for you, because there are currently no approved claims for bromelain in the EU database.
What 4500 F.I.P. means
You don't measure the strength of bromelain by the milligrams, but by the enzyme activity. This is expressed in F.I.P. units or in GDU. Both measure how much protein the enzyme can split per unit of time, just using a different test method. This product contains 4500 F.I.P. per capsule, which corresponds to approximately 2500 GDU per gram. This puts it above the entry-level products of around 2000 F.I.P. and below the extra-strong 7500 F.I.P. variants. Note: F.I.P. and GDU cannot be converted exactly into one another, so consider such a comparison as an approximation. However, this is the number to look out for when comparing products, because two capsules with the same number of milligrams can differ significantly in activity. That is why we always state it in full.
Why a time-release capsule
Bromelain is a protein, and proteins have a hard time surviving in the acidic environment of the stomach. That is why this bromelain is in a time-release capsule: it does not release the contents all at once, but gradually. You take one capsule per day. The capsule itself is plant-based and acid-resistant. Many competitors leave out how their capsule works; here you know.
Bromelain from pineapple is one of those ingredients where the units on the label say more than the milligrams. With this product, you know exactly what you are getting: 750 mg, 4500 F.I.P., time-release, and 180 capsules in the bottle.