Why Is Papaya Bitter? (And How Can You Counteract the Bitterness?)
Papaya is a delicious fruit that is often used in sweet dishes. However, some papayas can be quite bitter. This is because the papaya fruit contains an enzyme called papain. Papain is a protease enzyme that breaks down proteins. When the papaya fruit is unripe, papain is present in high levels and can make the fruit taste bitter. There are several ways to counteract the bitterness of papaya. One way is to add sugar or honey to the fruit. Another way is to cook the fruit, which will denature the papain enzyme and make the fruit taste sweeter. Finally, you can choose to eat only ripe papayas, as they have lower levels of papain.