What is papaya fruit?
Papaya (Carica papaya) is a plant of the family Caricaceae. The plant is closely related to the mountain papaya (Vasconcellea cundinamarcensis, synonym: Carica pubescens).
In Belgium and the Netherlands is the papaya from Central America, Asia, Central and entered South Africa. There is in the supply of papaya little to no seasons; the fruit is a year for sale.
The papaya is the fruit of a melon tree and is therefore called "tree melon". The fruits grow on the trunk of the tree. The papaya tree is originally from Mexico. The tree can grow up to six feet high. The stem is hollow, the leaves are large and finger-shaped. There are several subspecies papayas.
The fruit is round to oval-shaped, approximately 20 cm long. The weight of a - sold in Belgium and the Netherlands - papaya may range from 300-500 g, although the 6 kg of fruits can be heavy. Papayas of this weight are not exported. Papaya has a smooth, thin skin, which changes color during ripening from green to yellow-green-spotted. A ripe papaya has salmon pink to yellow-orange flesh, slightly smells like apricots, butter is soft and sweet and tastes like melon. The flesh of the papaya fruit does not contain any acids, resulting in a very sweet taste. In the middle of the papaya there is a hollow space which is filled with black seeds, which are not eaten. The seeds can be dried and used as pepper at certain dishes.
In the tropics, the seeds are used as a medicine against intestinal parasites, because the laxative effect. Immature specimens are eaten as a vegetable.
The fruits should be harvested when the ripening process has just started and prematurely picked papayas can not ripen. They are fragile products for export.
Recommended storage and processing
A papaya is ripe when the fruit has a green-yellow-red spotted skin and light finger pressure somewhat on demand. Ripe papayas are to keep a few days in a cool place (about 12 ° C), but can not be better kept in the refrigerator. Unripe fruit can ripen at room temperature.
Fresh papayas contain the proteolytic enzyme papain. This enzyme is similar to the pepsin level produced by the human body that breaks down proteins. When treated with gelatin it goes against the effect of gelatin, as with the pineapple. The papain also ensures that the fruit is easy to digest. However, sometimes the papain that dairy products with fresh papaya after some time become watery and get a bad taste. Used in meat dishes, the meat more tender; papain is often used in the meat industry for the same purpose. The papain is also extracted and dried to a powder, taken in order to hasten the digestion. People who can digest almost anything in advance, take the papaya juice or in tablet form.
If one wants to use papaya with milk or gelatin, can the fruits better a few minutes to cook or use canned fruit. For consuming this fruit peel and seeds should be removed. Lemon juice increases the taste of the flesh. Papayas are often used as a starter combined with ham, or as a dessert.
Nutritive value
Nutritional information per 100 grams:
- Energy: 180 kilojoules
- Protein: 1 gram
- Carbohydrates: 10 grams
- Calcium: 21 mg
- Sodium: 3 mg
- Potassium: 211 mg
- Phosphorus: 16 mg
- Iron: 0.4 mg
- B-Carotene: 0.56 mg
- Vitamin B1 0.03mg
- Vitamin B2: 0.04 mg
- Vitamin C: 60-80 mg
Like other orange fruit, the papaya is rich in beta-carotene, which plays a role in the protection against free radicals, which can cause certain types of cancer. Papayas contain as much vitamin C, that half a fruit of average size is sufficient for the daily requirement of an adult. Furthermore, they contain small amounts of iron and calcium.
Papaya contains agri mine that would have a good effect on female fertility, as well carpaïne, an enzyme that is believed that it is good for the heart. Also in this plant for fibrin, rare in other plants. In humans, this plays a major role in blood clotting.
Therapeutically it can often be used with pineapple juice containing another important enzyme, the bromelain, located. The peel of the papaya provides a topical treatment of wounds on the skin and in places that do not heal quickly. Also, the pulp from the juice extractor can for this purpose, or as part of a poultice, can be used.