Milk-clotting activity of cucumisin, a plant serine protease from melon fruit.

Cucumisin (EC 3.4.21.25) isolated from prince melon fruit is a plant serine protease. Its milk-clotting activity was compared with plant cysteine proteases such as papain (EC 3.4.22.2) and ficain (EC 3.4.22.3). Cucumisin was more stable than papain under the condition of pH 7.1, 37 degrees C for 24 h. The milk-clotting activity of cucumisin was the same to that of papain and was half value of that of ficain.