Introduction

• Native to tropical America.
• Papaya has long been known as wonder fruit of the tropics.
• It gives maximum yield per unit and income next to banana.
• It is generally grown as fruit plant in kitchen garden, home garden or nutrition garden and later as commercial fruit.
• It is also planted as a filler plant in a fruit orchard.

Importance of Papaya

• The ripe fruits are used for desert purpose, preparation of jam, jelly, soft drinks, ice cream, flavoring, crystallized fruits, canned in syrup, fruits salad.
• The unripe fruits are consumed as vegetables also as a contraceptive.
• The seeds also have medicinal properties.
• Papaya yield a valuable proteolytic enzyme, papain, which has several and varied use in medicine and industry.
• Papain is used to correct certain digestive ailments, for tenderizing meat, in the manufacture of leather and in clarifying beer.
• The other uses of papain are in the treatment of ulcer, diphtheria, pre-shrinking of wool, manufacture of chewing gum, degumming natural silk and rayon, in cosmetics, dental paste preparation etc.
• The raw fruits are cooked as vegetables and consumed.

Uses of Papaya

• Used in brewing industries as a clarifying agent for beer etc.
• Used in preparation of drugs for treating intestinal cancer, tape worms, round worms and kidney disorders.
• The carpaine alkaloid present in green parts and in seeds used as heart stimulant, as diuretic and for treatment of amoebic dysentery.
• Preparation of chewing gum, cosmetics, papers and adhesive materials.
• It is also be used for extraction of oil from liver of Tuno fish.
• Papaya is very nutritious, it contains high quantities of vitamin A and ranks second to mango in the content of vitamin-A (carotene), the vitamin A is associated with carotene but the yellow pigment of papaya is caricaxanthene.
• Used in brewing industries as a clarifying agent for beer etc.
• It also contains Vit. C, riboflavin, niacin, good source of Ca, P, Fe, fat and carbohydrates.
• Apart from papain, raw fruits can also be used for extraction of pectin.
• Pectin is generally extracted using alcohol precipitation method.
• It is used in food industry as flavouring extract and emulsifying agent.
• Tutti frutti: Papaya bits (immature) are first soaked in brine and boiled in sugar syrup and immersed in sugar syrup for 48-60 hours with permitted colors.
• The other products like, papaya jam, canned slice, papaya beverages, fruit bars/toffee bars, soft drinks etc, could be made out of the fruits.