Papaya Enzymes
Learning About Papaya Enzymes
The most beneficial papaya enzymes are those that are extracted from the leaves and the fruit. The main enzymes in papaya include zeaxanthin, phytofluene, papain, myristic acid, methyl salicylate, malic acid, lycopene, linalool, caryophyllene, beta-carotene and benzaldehyde.
Papaya also contains the nutrients zinc, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, iron, calcium and the B vitamins plus vitamin C.
Papaya enzymes are useful in aiding digestion, alleviating heartburn and stimulating your appetite. It also aids in relieving inflammatory bowel disorders and indigestion. You can even use the leaves of the papaya and the enzymes within, papain, to tenderize meat.
The green papaya is a great source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. If you compare it to other fruits and vegetables, ounce for ounce, it has more vitamin C than an orange, more vitamin A than the carrot, and it also has vitamin E and many B vitamins. The enzymes found in the papaya help your body to digest fats, carbohydrates and proteins.
You can eat papaya fresh – it's delicious – or you can take some of the papaya enzymes in the form of supplements. Papain is the enzyme you will get the most of, whether you take the supplement or eat the fruit. Papain is very beneficial to your digestive system.
The papaya has two varieties. One comes from Hawaii, and usually weights a pound or less. The other is the Mexican papaya, which is much larger. Both of these fruits are available year round. At one time there was a papaya in Hawaii that was altered genetically, when an original papaya crop was killed off by a virus. It isn't known whether the enzymes in the altered crop were comparable with papaya grown naturally.
The papaya is used almost more for its enzymes than for its taste, although the taste is sweet. The greatest demand for the papaya is actually for the latex from inside the fruits, which is where one will find papain, the most common of the papaya enzymes. This enzyme can be valuable in treating wool to prevent it from shrinking, and in products that are used to remove stains from different fabrics. You can use papain as an ingredient in jellyfish and insect sting antidotes, and to make cosmetics, beer and toothpaste. It's even used in making contact lens cleaners.
The most worthwhile item in your typical first aid kit can also come from the green papaya. There is an enzyme in them that takes the pain from stings and bites by countering the venom in them.
Papain is called a “protease” - this is a protein that is much stronger than others. It has been used as a tenderizer of meat for decades, and it works because it breaks down the chemical bonds in the tough flesh of the animals.