Papain (Papaya) : Preparation, Chemical Nature, Synonyms and Uses

Carica papaya, Caricaceae, Papaya, fruits; Botanical Garden KIT, Karlsruhe, Germany. The leaves are used in homeopathy as remedy

What is Papain and its Source:

Papain is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes obtained from the latex of unripe fruit of Papaya tree, Carica papaya belonging to the family Caricaceae.

Preparation of the Papain :

For processing the papain, the latex of papaya fruits is collected in the aluminium trays and potassium metabisulphite is added to the collected latex. The extraneous matter is removed through seiving and latex is dried in vacuum shelf drier. It is also processed by spray drying method. This dried latex is called papain. Papain is a light brown or brown cloured amorphous powder. It has typical odour and taste. It is having maximum proteolytic activity at pH 5 to 6. It is soluble in water and glycerine.

Chemical Nature of Papain :

The enzymes present in the papain are proteolytic enzymes which are the mixture of papain and chymopapain. These proteolytic enzymes act on amides and polypeptides.

Uses of Papain :

• Papain is used in the clarification of beverages
• Papain is used as meat tenderiser
• Papain is used in cheese manufacture as a substitute for rennin
• Papain is used for degumming of silk fabrics in textile industry
• Papain is used for dehairing of skins and hides in leather industry
• Papain acts as an Anti-inflammatory agent
• Papain relieves symptoms of episiotomy

Synonyms of Papaya :

• Bengali – Papeya
• Hindi – papaya
• Malayalam – Pappayam
• Marathi – Papai
• Tamil – Pappayi
• Telugu – Boppayi
• Punjabi – Randkharipuza
• Oriyan – Amrulabhanda
• German – Papyabaum
• French – Papayer
• Italian – Ficodelisole