A Comprehensive Review on Papaya Phytochemistry Profile, Bioaccessibility, Pharmacological Effects and Future Trends of Papaya Phytochemicals

ABSTRACT

Papaya is one of the most consumed fruits around the world, which possesses low energy and is very suitable for those trying to reduce weight. Papaya is packed with a bunch of vitamins, minerals, as well as phenolic compounds. Phytochemicals have beneficial effects on the human body, including anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, and anti-dengue activities. Numerous studies have estimated nutritional and medicinal properties. The study of the bioaccessibility of papaya chemicals is important for both the food and medicine industries. This review summarizes the nutritional value and phytochemical content of different parts of papaya. Influencing factors like pre- and post-harvest on phytochemical content also have been reviewed. Further, the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of phytochemicals as well as the medicinal properties, based on the in vitro and in vivo studies are deeply reviewed. Finally, the research progress, gaps and interesting future aspects of papaya phytochemicals have been discussed. These phytochemical compounds are influenced by numerous factors, such as pre- and post-harvest, as well as extraction conditions. Many factors may affect the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of these phytochemicals, but there is limited information. Therefore, further studies like in vitro and in vivo experiments should be conducted to authenticate the efficiency of the papaya plant.

KEYWORDS:

• Bioaccessibility
• medicinal
• nutraceutical
• papaya
• phytochemicals
• phenolic compounds

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank The Future Food Hallmark Research Initiative at the University of Melbourne, Australia. We would like to thank researchers of the Dr Hafiz Suleria group from the School of Agriculture and Food, Faculty of Science, the University of Melbourne for their incredible support.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Additional information

Funding

Dr Hafiz Suleria is the recipient of an Australian Research Council—Discovery Early Career Award (ARC-DECRA—DE220100055) funded by the Australian Government. This research was funded by the University of Melbourne under the McKenzie Fellowship Scheme (Grant No. UoM-18/21), the Future Food Hallmark Research Initiative Funds (Grant No. UoM-21/23) and Collaborative Research Development Grant (Grant No. UoM-21/23) funded by the Faculty of Science, the University of Melbourne, Australia.