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Pancreatin

Pancreatin is an enzymatic preparation made from the pancreatic enzymes of animals. Pancreatin consists essentially of dried, defatted pancreas. Pancreatin is a cream colored, amorphous powder which has a faint, characteristic but not offensive odor. Pancreatin is prepared from fresh or fresh-frozen pancreas, generally of procine origin, although beef pancreas may also be used, but is less potent. Pancreatin is actually a mixture of enzymes obtained by extraction of the pancreas which consists essentially of lipase, amylase and protease. Pancreatin has a variety of uses including uses in human and veterinary medicine, wherein it can be used to correct digestive deficiencies. Pancreatin is the mixture of enzymes obtained by extraction of the pancreas and consisting essentially of lipases, amylase and proteases. Pancreatin is used as an activc compound for treatment of digestive disturbances attributable to pancreatic insufficiency. A deficiency of digestive enzymes may occur in humans, for example caused by a pathological change in the pancreas resulting from chronic pancreatitis, digestive insufficiency after stomach operations, hepatic or biliary disorders. It is already known that deficiency manifestations of these types can be treated by administration of non-endogenous pancreatin-containing digestive enzyme mixtures such as, for example, pancreatic enzymes, especially pancreatin, which may optionally also contain added lipases. Pancreatin tablets are prescribed for patients who are unable to digest food properly because of an insufficient amount of natural pancreatic excretions. Among various enzymes acceptable for food uses, papain and pancreatin, used either separately or in combination, are the most effective. Papain, which is a commonly used protease, is relatively more effective in aiding yeast autolysis than is pancreatin. Pancreatin is a mixture enzyme system, containing protease, amylase, lipase, and nuclease. It has been observed that the combined use of pancreatin with papain during yeast autolysis improves the flavor of the final product to some extent.

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