Abstract: Ficin and papain are both cysteine proteinase. Comparison of the primer structures suggests the similarities between the active site portions of papain and ficin. In the present study the properties of ficin were analyzed to further know about the enzyme and to extend the comparison of it with papain. Being different from papain, ficin displays a resistance to lower temperatures, a wider range of pH values, and better binding of substrate. The result suggests that ficin is suitable for application.

Key words: ficin, papain, comparison of enzymatic characteristics