ABSTRACT
Each proteolytic enzyme is very specific for a few peptide bonds of proteins. First, a protein must be denatured (unfolded) in order to be hydrolyzed. The proteins in our food are denatured by cooking and/ or processing. The proteins of foods consumed raw are generally denatured by the high acidity of the stomach (pH 1-2 due to hydrochloric acid). Some physiologically important proteins, such as zymogens, have small segments that do not fold and thereby are hydrolyzed at nonfolded locations (between domains) to give active enzymes, hormones, etc.
