TITLE:
Chemical Analysis of Carica papaya L. Crude Latex
AUTHORS:
Jeana S. Macalood, Helen J. Vicente, Renato D. Boniao, Jessie G. Gorospe, Elnor C. Roa
KEYWORDS:
Carica papaya; Papaya CX Variety; Latex; Protease Activity; Papain; Complete Proximate Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.4 No.10,
October
9,
2013
ABSTRACT: Crude latex of Carica papaya L. has been known to offer a lot of benefits and potentials
especially in the agricultural industry and human health. This study focuses on
the latex coming from its fruits of Papaya CX variety. Seven to eight
longitudinal incisions were made in order to allow latex to appear and drain in
the collecting devices. 439.5 g dried latex was stored in plastic
containers and freezed. Results showed that dried latex contained higher amount
of crude protein (57.24 ± 0.69%), followed by moisture (17.76 ± 0.09%),
ash (7.00 ± 0.01%), crude fat (5.21 ± 0.13%) and crude fiber (0.67 ± 0.09%)
based on the complete proximate analysis. In the enzyme analysis, papain had
protease activity of 2655 units·g-1 at pH 5.5 and 285 units·g-1 at pH 9.0. These results provided evidence that papain as a protease enzyme is
found in the crude latex of papaya which is a major constituent in
various proteolytic activities. Crude latex from C. papaya L. can be utilized to address the issues in agricultural farms to
accelerate production and reduce environmental hazards.