The high content of water in the papaya almost as a melon (92%), This is why some call it the ‘tropical melon’.
The chemical composition of papaya fruit with respect to sugars, organic, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals change during ripening.
Most of its carbohydrates are formed from sugars: saccharose, glucose and fructose.
The fresh fruit pulp contains sucrose, invert sugar, a resinous substance, papain, malic acid and salts of tartaric and citric acids 1.2 per cent.
The dry matter which was 7% at 15 days after pollination, increased to 13% at harvest.
Both ripe and unripe papaya fruit is a rich source of pectins.
Papaya is a source of calcium, and an excellent source of vitamin A and C. The B vitamins are also present in small amounts.
Papaya’s fruit and seed have been shown to possess bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Shigella flexneri.
Nutrient composition in papaya
