Amino Acid and Functional Characteristics of Pawpaw (Carica papaya) Seeds under Normal Storage Ripening

The amino acid contents and the functional properties of matured unripe, ripe and overripe pawpaw (Carica papaya) seeds were carried out using standard methods as follow up to a previous paper where some aspects of the chemical composition of the seeds at different ripening stages were determined. Twenty amino acids comprising ten essential and non- essential amino acids were detected, out of which total essential amino acids (EAA) in % were 48, 47 and 24 while non-essential amino acids in % were 52, 53 and 76 in unripe, ripe and overripe pawpaw seeds respectively. Functional properties for bulk density (BD), water absorption capacity (WAC), oil absorption capacity (OAC), foaming capacity (FC), emulsion capacity (EC), gelation capacity (GC) and viscosity were also determined. Favourable functional properties and the amino acids makes the results from this study an important index to the use of the seeds from the various ripening stages a means of supplementing the existing source of nutrient in food formulation.