Volume 41, August 2015, Pages 201–211
Highlights
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- Review on phytochemical composition of papaya pulp, leaves, peel and seeds.
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- Cultivar and maturity influence the nutrient and phytochemical composition.
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- Non-Western traditional uses and culinary food preparation of papaya.
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- Nutritional potential of papaya leaves.
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- Potential to be more widely adopted into Western culture.
Abstract
This
paper reviews the current research on phytochemical composition and
non-Western traditional culinary food preparation and health uses of
papaya. Only ripe papaya fruit flesh is normally eaten in Western
countries. The orange or red flesh is an excellent source of pro-vitamin
A and ascorbic acid. In South-East Asia, both ripe and green fruit are
used and additionally leaves are popularly consumed either raw in salad
or cooked as a green vegetable. The leaves contain alkaloids as well as
quercetin and kaempferol as the main phenolic compounds. In contrast to
Western use papaya has a reputation as a medicinal plant in tropical
countries where it is grown. Different plant parts such as fruit, leaf,
seed, root, bark and flowers have been used as health treatments. These
have included use as topical dressings for treating ulcers and
dermatitis, gastrointestinal uses such as antihelminthic and
antibacterial activity treatments and traditional uses for fertility
control. The differences in use for food and health illustrate potential
applications and nutritional benefits of the plant which require
further research. With better verification the health applications of
papaya could be more widely adopted into Western culture.
Keywords
- Carica papaya;
- Cultivars;
- Food composition;
- Phytochemicals;
- Maturity;
- Culture;
- Nutrition;
- Health;
- Biodiversity and nutrition
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
