Papaya is a small, leafy tree with a hollow trunk, large palmate leaves, and smooth-skinned, oblong fruits (melons). Melons are usually picked in a green state and allowed to ripen. When ripe, the flesh is sweet and juicy and tastes similar to other melons.
PAWPAW: A WONDERFUL FRUIT!
How to Select and Store Papaya for Best Quality and Taste Because papaya comes from Hawaii or Mexico, you can most likely find this fruit in a grocery store year-round, but only because papaya is available 12 months. after the year does not mean that all selections are perfect. For the best tasting papaya, only buy the fruit when it is ripe or do not eat the fruit until it is ripe. Unripe papaya has a color that is a mixture of yellow and green. Ripe papaya, on the other hand, is bright yellow and firm (but can feel soft with gentle pressure). If you’re buying a ripe papaya, avoid overly soft fruit, unless you plan to use it in a smoothie or puree. A good papaya also has few or no blemishes. A green papaya from the grocery store should ripen in a couple of days. After it’s ripe, store the fruit in the refrigerator to help slow down the ripening process. If you have leftover papaya, you can store it in the freezer for up to 10 months. Remove the seeds first and then cut the fruit into small pieces to store.
In contrast to the methanolic seed extract of papaya seeds, we found that the aqueous extract of white papaya seeds surprisingly stimulated the proliferation of prostate cancer cells, while the aqueous extract of black seeds had no effect. Papaya seeds are rich in various types of phytochemicals, including saponins, tannins, polyphenols, flavonols, glycosides, alkaloids, triterpenes, amino acids, sugars, proteins, and vitamins. Some of the known phytochemicals identified by LCMS-MS in the aqueous extract of papaya seeds include 5-hydroxy feruloyl quinic acid, acetyl p-coumaryl quinic acid, quercetin-3-O-rhamnoside, syringic acid hexoside, 5- hydroxy caffeic acid quinic, peonidin-3-O-glucoside, sinapic acid-O-hexoside, cyanidation-3-O-glucose and methyl feruloyl glucoside. Again, it is not clear whether these phytochemicals are present in the black seeds or the white seeds. It is evident from our study that some tumor-promoting substance is present in the white seeds that is no longer present when the white seeds ripen into black seeds when the papaya ripens.
Clearly, further studies are required to resolve this issue. Papaya seeds can be eaten raw, ground, or crushed in salad dressings, milk, or honey. However, when eaten raw, the seeds have a strong bitter, pepper-like flavor. You should only eat small amounts at a time and not very often and you should avoid them altogether if you are pregnant. Thinking of losing a few kilos? If so, it doesn’t hurt to add papaya to your daily menu. Papaya is excellent for weight loss due to its low calorie content. Because the fruit is also a good source of fiber, papaya is not only physically satisfying, it will also help keep you full longer. As a result, you may end up consuming fewer calories throughout the day. The fiber in papaya also promotes healthy digestion. With better digestion, you’ll feel and look less bloated, which can help flatten your stomach.