Beneficial effects of microorganisms isolated from papaya

Abstract

This Chapter will describe the current knowledge regarding the beneficial effects of microorganisms that have been isolated from papaya which is the fruit of Carica papaya. There have been some studies where specific strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), whichrepresent a heterogeneous group of microorganisms that are naturally present in manyfoods and possess a wide range of therapeutic properties, have been identified on papayaand that some of these possess the ability to produce beneficial compounds such asbacteriocins amongst others. Some LAB isolated from papaya have even been proposedto be potentially probiotic, meaning that they not only can survive in the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract, but also can provide health benefits to the consumers. Also a review of the microbiota involved in natural papaya fermentation will be discussed. This is important because it has been reported that fermented papaya can have beneficial effects against certain types of diabetes and possess antioxidant properties. Thus microorganisms present on papaya could be used in the food industry to develop new products with beneficial effects on consumers.