Records of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

This study evaluated the yield, amino acid profile, and cowhide (Ponmo) (tenderization efficiency of papain from different parts of papaya (Carica papaya). The fresh leaves and fully grown but unripe pawpaw fruits were harvested from 1st to 7th August 2024. Papain was extracted from the peels, leaves, and seeds of papaya and purified. Ponmo from adult cattle was obtained from commercial producers after slaughtering and subjected to enzyme treatment, evaluation of amino acid profile, and meat tenderness. The highest yield of purified papain was obtained from the papaya seed (50.1%), while the lowest was obtained from the leaves (38.8%). Ponmo treated with papain from papaya peel recorded the highest values for all the essential amino acids and non-essential amino acids except for glycine (5.10%) and proline (5.18%), which were high in Ponmo treated with papain from papaya seed and control (animal fed with untreated diet) respectively. The shear force values of all the treated samples were significantly (p<0.05) lower than the control sample (5.41 kg/cm3). The study has clearly shown that when you treat ponmo with papain, more beta-pleated bonds are broken down, the meat becomes more tender and essential amino acids become more available and quantifiable than the control (untreated ponmo).