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Papaya - A wholesome fruit By Mumtaz Khalid Ismail
More Links Medicinal Value of Papaya How Papaya is good for us Nutritive value of 100 gms of papaya Fruit - Papaya Dishes from Saroj Cookbook
Papaya (Carica papaya) is a common man's fruit, which is reasonably priced and have a high nutritive value. This fruit is available through out the year. About 17,000 hectares are under papaya cultivation in India. This is a tropical fruit and tree requires minimum irrigation. Yield from a tree can be up to 100 fruits each weighing about 1kg. The fruit is known by various names such as pepe (Bengali), papita (Hindi), pharangi (Kanada), boppayi pandu (Telugu), omakai (Malayalam), popai (Marati) and pappali (Tamil).
Papaya is a wholesome fruit. Papaya has more carotene compared to other fruits such as apples, guavas, sitaphal, and plantains. This pigment is similar to that found in carrots, beet root, dark green leafy vegetables like drumstick leaves, palak, curry leaves etc. Carotene in food is converted into vitamin A in our body. 100 gms of ripe papaya contains only 32 kcal. The comparative low calories content make this a favorite fruit of obese people who are into weight reducing regime. It has a good vitamin C content of 57 mgs for 100 gms. Unriped green papaya is used as vegetable. It does not contain carotene but all other nutrients are present.
Nutritive value of 100 gms of papaya
- Has more carotene compared to other fruits.
- Contains very less calories.
- Will ensure a good supply of vitamin A and C.
- Is an excellent aid to digestion.
- Can be prescribed for dyspeptic patients.
- Is an ideal food for invalids.
- Can be used as tenderizer in cooking.
- Is reported to speed up healing.
Ripe papaya Green papaya Protein 0.6 gms Protein 0.7 gms Fat 0.1 gm Fats 0.2 gms Minerals 0.5 gm Minerals 0.5 gms Fibre 0.8 gm Fibre 0.9 gms Carbohydrates 7.2 gms Carbohydrates 5.7 gms Energy 32 kcal Energy 27 gms Total carotene 2,740 µgs Carotene 0 Beta carotene 880 µgs Beta carotene 0 Vitamin C 57 mgs Vitamin C 12 mgs Sodium 6.0 mgs Sodium 23.0 mgs Potassium 69 mgs potassium 216 mgs Iron 0.5 mg Iron 0.9 mgs Tell us what you think about this article
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Different types of enzymes are present in papaya. Papain, a
substance present in papaya is an excellent aid
to digestion. It is an enzyme, which helps to digest the
protein in food. Papaya has the property of tenderizing meat. This
knowledge is been put to use in our country by cooking meat with raw
papaya to make it tender and digestible. The unripe fruit is a rich
source of papain, which is vegetable pepsin and is capable of
digesting protein in acid, alkaline or neutral medium. Papain also
exhibits pain relieving properties and the US food and drug
administration (FDA) has approved its medicinal use to ease the
discomfort of slipped discs (prolapsed inter vertebral disc). This is
used for injection into herniated inter vertebral lumbar discs to
relieve pain caused by pressure on nerves. 
Papaya seeds even though have a deworming action,
is not advisable to consume. A toxic substance called carpine
is present in traces in black seeds of papaya. Carpine in large
quantities is said to lower the pulse rate and depress the nervous
system. This substance is only found in papaya seed and that too in
very small quantity. The fleshy part of the fruit is completely free
from this toxic substance. Hence, once the seeds are removed the
delicious fruit can be safely eaten. 