Papaya is a fruit that is native to northern South America and Mexico. Papaya is commonly found in Florida, California, Caribbean islands, Texas, and other subtropical and tropical regions. Papaya is a fruit that is juicy and sweet. It is of orangish-yellow color. Due to its various benefits for the human body, it is commonly seen consumed by people. We can found three sexes of the papaya plant that are male, female, and hermaphrodite. The male version of Papaya can not produce fruit; it produces pollen. After the pollination process, female Papaya produces small fruit. Moreover, the hermaphrodite sex of Papaya can self-pollinate due to the presence of flowers that have both male and female. The female one got ovaries, and the male one gets stamens.
History of Papaya
-
- As we know, Papaya is native to tropical areas of America. More than 20 different species of Papaya can be found there. Hernan Cortes mentioned the first time news about it. He was a traveler and mentioned the news in his travel stories during 1519.
- Aztecs warmly welcomed Cortes. The people of that place prepared a salad in which they offered him melon-like fruits, and he found it to be easily digestible.Not only did Aztecs know about the properties of Papaya, but Australian aborigines also knew about it. Aborigines were using it for a very long time.
- The travelers like Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Magellan, etc., had noticed the wide use of Papaya among people when they returned from long tours to the most exotic lands. They found it commonly consumed by the population with which they meet.
Beneficial properties of fermented Papaya-
- The preparation of fermented Papaya got famous during the time of 80s. The well-known french immunologist Luc Montaigne noted the antioxidants and anti-inflammatory effects of Papaya. Today the fermented Papaya is one of most used fruit for preparation of medicinal supplements due to it have reducing effects of oxidative stress.
- It is considered that fermented papaya is 1.5 times more beneficial than regular papaya fruit. You can purchase bio-fermented papaya from online sites. Due to the presence of various enzymes, they help in deriving the properties of fermented Papaya. In addition, these enzymes act as a biocatalyst to bring out physiological reactions.
The unripened Papaya has the presence of more enzymes than fermented ones. Some of the enzymes like papain, and chymopapain, in addition to an enzyme, results in producing important antioxidants in Papaya they are:
- Selenium
- Vitamin e
- Vitamin c
- Provitamin a
- High quantity of carotenoids
- Flavonoids
- Riboflavin (vitamin B2, niacin, thiamin)
- Elements like phosphorus, iron, magnesium, calcium
Contradictions for specific conditions-
The bio fermented papaya has various beneficial properties, but in some conditions like pregnancy, Papaya should be avoided by pregnant ladies and during lactation. Some studies show it is not safe for ladies who are pregnant. The use of Papaya can lead to delicate periods during pregnancy. In addition, dried papaya results in increasing the process of absorption of iron, so avoid it if you are taking iron supplements in your diet.