The primary purpose of the brine is to provide effective water holding in the meat thereby ensuring that the enzyme performs optimally to tenderise meat fibres. Tenderising solutions increase the water content of the meat which would be lost during subsequent handling without a suitable brine.
Additional benefits of the brine are enhanced flavour and juiciness of the cooked meat.
Alternative water binding agents such as Carrageenan Gum have been used as partial replacements for salts but these can result in undesirable textural qualities in the meat.