Question: Papain in papaya is extracted from:
Options:
(a) Leaves (1)
(b) Seeds (2)
(c) Immature fruit (3)
(d) Stem (4)
Papain: An enzyme found in the latex (milky sap) of unripe papaya fruit. This enzyme is a protease, meaning it breaks down proteins. It is used for various purposes, including meat tenderizing, digestive aids, and in certain medical treatments.
🔑Key Points:
• Papine:
Papain is a plant proteolytic enzyme for the cysteine proteinase family cysteine protease enzyme in which enormous progress has been made to understand its functions.
Papain is found naturally in papaya (Carica papaya L.) manufactured from the latex of raw papaya fruits.
The enzyme is able to break down organic molecules made of amino acids, known as polypeptides, and thus plays a crucial role in diverse biological processes in physiological and pathological states, drug designs, industrial uses such as meat tenderizers, and pharmaceutical preparations.Â
Proteolytic enzymes help break proteins down into smaller protein fragments called peptides and amino acids.
This is why papain is a popular ingredient in meat tenderizers.
Papain may help relieve sore throat symptoms, such as swelling, pain, and redness.Â
It is also used for insect bites, wound healing, diarrhea, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
In manufacturing, papain is used in cosmetics, toothpaste, contact lens cleaners, meat tenderizers, and meat products.