Bromelain is a naturally occurring mixture of enzymes derived from the juice or the stem of the ripe or unripe pineapple plant. The enzymes are proteolytic, or protein-digesting, and milk-clotting. Bromelain is taken as a nutritional supplement to assist in the digestion of protein and for other purposes. Its protein-digesting properties have also caused it to be used in the leather industry and, like papain (the protein-digesting enzyme derived from papaya) to tenderize meats. Taken with meals, bromelain helps the intestines break down food more completely, thus reducing the likelihood of uncomfortable intestinal fermentation.