Abstract:
Papain is a proteolytic enzyme present in papaya that breaks down proteins and has a
number of food processing applications. The objective of this study was to extract papain
enzyme by using grinding and ultrasonication extraction techniques and determination of
the phytochemical components of the leaf. The fresh papaya leaf was collected from locally
grown papaya plant. Purification of the extracted papain was done by using ammonium
sulfate and sodium chloride precipitation. The concentration of the enzyme was then
determined. Papain enzyme was identified by using casein protein. The prolytic activity of
the enzyme was also determined according to the procedure of Bradford method with
slight modification. The concentration of extract papain was from 0.054 - 0.002 mg/ml. The
maximum mean value was shown by the grinded sample and the minimum mean
concentration was 0.002 mg/ml obtained from the sonicated sample within a temperature
of 50
o
C for 20min. The maximum mean absorbance for enzyme activity was shown by
sonicated sample at 1h by 60
o
C and the minimum mean absorbance was from the sonicated
sample within temperature of 50
o
C for 20min. Inrelative comparison proteins and alkaloids
are the most abundant component of papaya leaf. Papaya leaves contain papain enzyme,
and the different methods of isolation, concentration and application of the enzyme needs
further study.
