I also love the fruit - but I'm going to go back nearly 70 years and speak to you of our papaya (pawpaw) farm.
We had hundreds of hectares planted and as the fruit grew ripe, we would knock them down and through them in our compost heap.
Why?
Because we were not in the business of growing fruit.
Once the fruit was at about full size, but still very green, we would tie a skirt to the plant (two metal hoops with a coarse material between them).
Workers would then use razor blades to cut the skin of the fruit and we would wait for the 'milk' in the fruit to drip onto the skirts.
Once the skirts were dry, the product would be scraped off and placed in large (20kg) metal containers and it would be shipped to pharmaceutical companies in the US.
The dried milk is used in meat tenderizers, also for healing certain stomach problems.
It was very healthy, but I think they now use chemicals for the same purposes...if you have more than enough fruit, try using a razor on a few fruit to collect the milk (maybe you can find recipes for various purposes?). Even if you do not want the milk, try it and when the fruit is ripe, compare it to those you did not slash. The ones that bled their mlk are usually sweeter.
- Oh, one last thing...careful of the milk, it can burn you.
I understand, the purpose of their cultivation was to extract papain for marketing to pharmaceutical companies. Papain possesses enzymes capable of breaking down animal and even vegetable protein bonds, which is why it is synthesized as a softener. I had knowledge of the softening capacity of papaya milk (papain); however, I did not know about the extraction process that you explain to us.
Very interesting and valuable information you provide, especially because you have experience in papaya cultivation and papain extraction.
Your valuable comment enriches the content of this synthetic post. Thank you for the intervention and substantial comment.
Greetings...