ASSIGNMENT 2

VHEE3105 BIOCHEMISTRY
Antioxidants in Fruits Papaya (Carica Papaya)

NAME

: SYARULNIZA BINTI ABDUL JAMIL

MATRIC NO

: VEE130020

LECTURER

: DR.ASHRIL BIN YUSOF

DATE OF SUBMISSION

Contents
1.0

Introduction.....................................................................................................................1

1.1

Origin, Distribution and Morphology..........................................................................3

2.0

Methods...........................................................................................................................4

3.0

Discussion.......................................................................................................................5

3.1

Nutrition Value............................................................................................................5

3.2

Health Benefits............................................................................................................6

5.0

3.2.1

Protection against Heart Disease..........................................................................6

3.2.2

Promotes Digestive Health...................................................................................7

3.2.3

Protection against Macular Degeneration............................................................7

3.2.4

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis..............................................................8

3.2.5

Papaya and Green Tea Team Up to Prevent Prostate Cancer...............................9

Conclusion.....................................................................................................................10

References................................................................................................................................11

1.0

Introduction
Free radicals are naturally produced in the body through normal metabolism of

carbohydrates, amino acids and fats (Nurul & Asmah, 2012). Other factors known to increase
free radicals in our body include chronic diseases, environmental poisons, smoking, alcohol
and ionizing radiation. Overproduction of free radicals can result in oxidative stress, a
deleterious process that damages the cell structure.
Fruits are rich with antioxidants that help in lowering incidence of degenerative
diseases such as cancer, arthritis, arteriosclerosis, heart disease, inflammation, brain
dysfunction and acceleration of the ageing process (Feskanich et al., 2000; Gordon, 1996;
Halliwell, 1996). Antioxidants are substances that can prevent or delay oxidative damage of
lipids, proteins and nucleic acids by reactive oxygen species, which include reactive free
radicals such as superoxide, hydroxyl, peroxyl, alkoxyl and non- radicals such as hydrogen
peroxide, hypochlorous, etc.
Plants such as fruits, vegetables, medical herbs and etc. may contain a wide variety of
free radical scavenge radicals by inhibiting initiation and breaking chain propagation or
suppressing formation of free radicals by binding to the metal ions, reducing hydrogen
peroxide, and quenching superoxide and singlet oxygen (Shi, Noguchi, & Niki, 2001). The
most abundant antioxidants in fruits are polyphenols and Vitamin C, Vitamins A, B and E and
carotenoids are present to a lesser extent in some fruits.
Malaysia is a tropical country with a large diversity of fruits. One of example tropical
fruit is the papaya. Papaya has been titled by Christopher Columbus as The Fruit of the
Angels because it is loved by all and is quite famous for its luscious taste and rich texture as
well as health benefits (Worlds Healthiest Foods, 2015). Their flesh is a rich orange colour
with either pink or yellow hues is a concentrated source of lycopene. Inside the inner cavity

of the fruit are black, round seeds encased in a gelatinous-like substance. Papaya's seeds are
edible, although their peppery flavour is somewhat bitter (Worlds Healthiest Foods, 2015).
The papaya tree belongs to a small family Garicaceae having four generation in the
world. The genus Carica Linn. is represented by four species in India, of which Carica
Papaya Linn. is the most widely cultivated and best-known species. The fruits, leaves and
latex obtained from papaya plant are used medicinally and for various other purposes
(Krishna, Paridhavi, & Patel, 2008). Papaya contains broad spectrum of phytochemicals
including, polysaccharides, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, proteins, alkaloids, glycosides, fats
and oils, lectins, saponins, flavonoids, sterols, papain, proteolytic enzymes and etc. (Table 1).

Table 1: Chemical Composition of Various Parts of Papaya Plant (Krishna, Paridhavi, &
Patel, 2008)

1.1

Origin, Distribution and Morphology

Papaya (Carica papaya L.) belongs to the family of Caricaceae grown in Australia,

Hawaii, Philippines, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia and a number of
other countries in tropical America (OECD, 2005). Other names associated with papaya
include tepayas by Kadazan Dusun community in East Malaysia, betik in Peninsular
Malaysia, lechosa in Venezuela, pawpaw in Sri Lanka and papali in India (Fasihuddin and
Ghazally, 2003).
It is grown both commercially and in home gardens. Papaya is a polygamous species
and it is difficult to identify a plant whether it is male, female or hermaphrodite. It is a tree
reaching 3-10 m in height, with the habit of a palm; the fleshy stem marked by scars where
leaves have fallen off, is surmounted by a terminal panache of leaves on long petioles and
with 5-7 lobes (Krishna, Paridhavi, & Patel, 2008).

2.0

Methods
The selection of the papaya fruit as my antioxidant fruit assignment is because I want

to find the nutritional content of the papaya. Papaya is one of the commonly fruit that we
found in the market. The low selling price in Malaysia market of the fruit letting people able
to afford it. Mostly, people only acknowledge berries fruits as one of the high antioxidant
content and having a lack knowledge of our tropical fruits antioxidants content. Thus, I
choose Papaya to know its antioxidants content.
As I confirm which fruit I selected, I started to look up in google. I started to search
for papaya antioxidant and theres a lot of website write about this topic and try to find
important context in the text. Next, I use scholar google to look up for any related journal
article about papaya as antioxidant fruits. I also type in the papaya scientific name carica
papaya in the search tab of scholar google. As the results came up, I started to open the file
with highest citation about the antioxidant fruits and papaya. Begin with reading the abstract
and save all the article which is related of what Im searching for. Some article need to pay,
therefore I cannot get the full text of the article.

3.0

Discussion
Papaya is a common mans fruit, which is reasonably prices and has a high nutritive

value. It is low in calories and rich in natural vitamins and minerals. Papaya places first
among the fruits for vitamin C, vitamin A, riboflavin, folate, calcium, thiamine, iron, niacin,
potassium and fibre. The comparative low calories content (32 kcal/100g of ripe fruit) makes
this a favourite fruit of obese people who are into weight reducing regime (Krishna,
Paridhavi, & Patel, 2008).

3.1

Nutrition Value
Papaya has more carotene compared to other fruits such as apples, guavas, sitaphal

and plantains, which help to prevent damage by free radicals. Unripe green papaya is used as
vegetable, it does not contain carotene but all other nutrients are present (Table 2). It is also
used in salads, pies, sherbets, juices and confections. Papaya when consumed regularly will
ensure a good supply of vitamin A and C, which are essential for good health especially for
eyesight and can help to prevent early age blindness in children (Krishna, Paridhavi, & Patel,
2008).
The fruit is a rich source for different types of enzymes. Papain, vegetable pepsin
present in good amount in unripe fruit is an excellent aid to digestion, which helps to digest
the protein in food at acid, alkaline or neutral medium. Thus, it can be prescribed for
dyspeptic patients, as papain may help in the digestion of proteins. The celiac disease
patients, who cannot digest the wheat protein gliandin, can tolerate it, if it is treated with
crude papain. Papaya has the property of tenderizing meat. This knowledge is being put to
use by cooking meat with raw papaya to make it tender and digestible.
The fermented papaya fruit is a promising nutraceutical as an antioxidant. It improves
the antioxidant defence in elderly patient even without any overt antioxidant deficiency state
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at the dose of 9g/day orally. The papaya lipase, a hydrolase enzyme tightly bonded to the
water insoluble fraction of crude papain, is considered as a naturally immobilized
biocatalyst (Krishna, Paridhavi, & Patel, 2008).

Table 2: Nutritive Value of 100g of Papaya Fruit

3.2

Health Benefits
Papayas offer not only the luscious taste and sunlit colour of the tropics, but are rich

sources of antioxidant nutrients such as carotenes, vitamin C and flavonoids; the B vitamins,
folate and pantothenic acid; and the minerals, potassium, copper, and magnesium; and fiber.
Together, these nutrients promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide
protection against colon cancer. In addition, papaya contains the digestive enzyme, papain,
which is used like bromelain, a similar enzyme found in pineapple, to treat sports injuries,
other causes of trauma, and allergies (Worlds Healthiest Foods, 2015).

3.2.1

Protection against Heart Disease

Papayas may be very helpful for the prevention of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart
disease. Papayas are an excellent source of the powerful antioxidants vitamin C and vitamin
A (through their concentration of pro-vitamin A carotenoid phytonutrients).

These nutrients help prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Only when cholesterol
becomes oxidized is it able to stick to and build up in blood vessel walls, forming dangerous
plaques that can eventually cause heart attacks or strokes. One way in which dietary vitamin
E and vitamin C may exert this effect is through their suggested association with a compound
called paraoxonase, an enzyme that inhibits LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol oxidation.
Papayas are also a good source of fiber, which has been shown to lower high
cholesterol levels. The folic acid found in papayas is needed for the conversion of a substance
called homocysteine into benign amino acids such as cysteine or methionine. If unconverted,
homocysteine can directly damage blood vessel walls and, if levels get too high, is considered
a significant risk factor for a heart attack or stroke (Worlds Healthiest Foods, 2015).

3.2.2

Promotes Digestive Health

The nutrients in papaya have also been shown to be helpful in the prevention of colon
cancer. Papaya's fiber is able to bind to cancer-causing toxins in the colon and keep them
away from the healthy colon cells. In addition, papaya's folate, vitamin C, beta-carotene, and
vitamin E have each been associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer (Worlds Healthiest
Foods, 2015).
These nutrients provide synergistic protection for colon cells from free radical damage
to their DNA. Increasing your intake of these nutrients by enjoying papaya is an especially
good idea for individuals at risk of colon cancer (Worlds Healthiest Foods, 2015).

3.2.3

Protection against Macular Degeneration

Your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as
an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a
study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of
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fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary
cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36%, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5
servings of fruit daily. In this study, which involved over 110,000 women and men,
researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption of fruits; vegetables; the
antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or
neovascular ARMD, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. While,
surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly
related to incidence of either form of ARMD, fruit intake was definitely protective against the
severe form of this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to
eat each day, but papaya can help you reach this goal. Add slices of fresh papaya to your
morning cereal, lunch time yogurt or green salads. Cut a papaya in half and fill with cottage
cheese, crab, shrimp or tuna salad. For an elegant meal, place slices of fresh papaya over any
broiled fish (Worlds Healthiest Foods, 2015).

3.2.4

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis

While one study suggests that high doses of supplemental vitamin C makes
osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs with aging, worse in laboratory
animals, another indicates that vitamin C-rich foods, such as papaya, provide humans with
protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or
more joints.
The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases were drawn from a
study of more than 20,000 subjects and focused on subjects who developed inflammatory
polyarthritis and similar subjects who remained arthritis-free during the follow-up period.
Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three

times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts (Worlds
Healthiest Foods, 2015).

3.2.5

Papaya and Green Tea Team Up to Prevent Prostate Cancer

Choosing to regularly eat lycopene-rich fruits, such as papaya, and drink green tea
may greatly reduce a man's risk of developing prostate cancer, suggests research published
the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Jian L, Lee AH, et al.) In this case-control
study involving 130 prostate cancer patients and 274 hospital controls, men drinking the most
green tea were found to have an 86% reduced risk of prostate cancer compared, to those
drinking the least.
A similar inverse association was found between the men's consumption of lycopenerich fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, apricots, pink grapefruit, watermelon, papaya,
and guava. Men who most frequently enjoyed these foods were 82% less likely to have
prostate cancer compared to those consuming the least lycopene-rich foods. Regular
consumption of both green tea and foods rich in lycopene resulted in a synergistic protective
effect, stronger than the protection afforded by either, the researchers also noted (Worlds
Healthiest Foods, 2015).

5.0

Conclusion
The present study shows that tropical fruits which is papaya have high primary

antioxidant potential. Papaya is the unique source of various types of compounds having
diverse structure. Also, papaya is rich in vitamin A (in the form of carotenoids) and vitamin
C. It is a very good source of folate. In addition, it is a good source of dietary fiber,
magnesium, potassium, copper, and vitamin K. Quite a significant amount of work has been
done on the biological activity and possible application of these compounds. In conclusion,
papaya is an excellent source of an antioxidant fruits. With the reasonable price, all people
can afford the papaya fruit and get the nutrients and health benefits from it.

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References

Cho, Eunyoung. 'Prospective Study of Intake of Fruits, Vegetables, Vitamins, and

Carotenoidsand Risk of Age-Related Maculopathy'. Archives of Ophthalmology 122.6
(2004): 883. Web.
Feskanich, D., Ziegler, R. G., Michaud, D. S., Giovannucci, E. L., Speizer, F. E., Willett, W.
C., & al., e. (2000). Prospective study of fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of
lung cancer among men and women. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 92,
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Gordon, M. H. (1996). Dietary antioxidants in disease prevention. Natural Product Reports,
265-273.
Halliwell, B. (1996). Antioxidants in human health and disease. Annual Review of Nutrition,
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Jian, Le et al. 'Protective Effect of Green Tea against Prostate Cancer: A Case-Control Study
in Southeast China'. International Journal of Cancer 108.1 (2003): 130-135. Web.
Krishna, K. L., Paridhavi, M., & Patel, J. A. (2008). Review on nutritional, medicinal and
pharmacological properties of Papaya (Carica papaya Linn.). Natural Product
Radiance, 7(4) pp.364-373.
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papaya. International Food Research Journal, 19(3): 1117-1124.
OECD (Environment Directorate Joint Meeting of the Chemicals Committee and the
Working Party on Chemicals, Pesticides and Biotechnology), 2005. Consensus

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Document on the Biology of Papaya (Carica papaya) Series on Harmonisation of

Regulatory Oversight in Biotechnology No. 33.
Shi, H. L., Noguchi, N., & Niki, E. (2001). Introducing natural antioxidants. In J. Pokorny et
al. (Eds.), Antioxidants in food: practical applications. Woodhead Publishing Ltd. and
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Whfoods.com,. 'Papaya'. N.p., 2015. Web. 1 June 2015.

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