Cultivation of Papaw and Production of Papain

Abstract

Papain is a product obtained from the pawpaw or papaya (Carica papaya L). Ceylon and adjacent countries are the most important producers of papain, although some is produced in the West Indies, particularly in Jamaica and Trinidad, while in recent years the production of this article has been taken up in Tanganyika, chiefly in the Northern Province. Much of the production from the West Indies was shipped to the United States, which in prewar years also imported considerable quantities from Japan (26,000 lb. in 1939). The bulk of the papain produced in Ceylon is marketed in Europe.