Papayas are large, sweet, oblong fruits with smooth skin and a variety of shapes and sizes. The fruit can be spherical or cylindrical, and can range from 3–20 inches in length and weigh up to 25.5 pounds. The skin is green when unripe and turns orange-yellow or reddish-orange as the fruit ripens. The flesh is juicy and aromatic, and can be yellow, orange, pink, or salmon-red in color. The flesh contains many small, dark seeds that are usually attached to the flesh by soft, white tissue. The seeds are coated with a jelly-like substance and have transparent arils.
The fruit’s size and shape can vary depending on the variety, and the female tree’s papayas are usually rounder than the pear-shaped papayas of the hermaphrodite tree. The unripe fruit contains a milky juice that contains papain, an enzyme that digests protein. This juice can be used to make remedies for indigestion and to tenderize meat.
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