Papaya is sweetest in summer and autumn; experts teach you to feel the stem end to pick out the world's healthiest fruit

Papaya, once rated the healthiest fruit by the World Health Organization, is rich in vitamins, carotene and various minerals. It also contains abundant proteolytic enzymes, with the highest content in unripe fruit, which can help with digestion. Papaya is sweetest in summer and autumn, but when picking papaya you should not just look at the appearance - you also need to feel the stem end. Never put unripe papaya in the refrigerator, otherwise it will become a "mute fruit" that will never ripen!

Papaya is sweetest in summer and autumn, with average sugar content above 12 degrees

Taiwan can produce papaya all year round, with cultivation in both central and southern Taiwan, and the south has the best quality. In summer there is little difference between central and southern Taiwan, but in the colder winter and spring, the south, being warmer with plenty of sunshine, produces fruit with higher sweetness.

Huang Shih-huang, assistant researcher at the Tainan Agricultural Improvement Station, explains that papaya takes about 130-150 days from flowering to harvest. If this growing period has plenty of sunshine and a warm climate, the high efficiency of leaf photosynthesis will increase the fruit's sweetness. In summer and autumn, the sugar content of papaya is generally above 12 degrees, and can even reach 14 or 15 degrees, with the best texture and flavor; papaya from March to April has lower sweetness because its growing period is mostly in the low-temperature season.

Three common papaya varieties: Tainung No. 2, Sunrise, and Hongfei

The area planted with papaya in the country is about 2,680 hectares, distributed across central and southern regions, with Tainan City and Pingtung County as the major production areas. In recent years the planted area in central Taiwan has also been increasing. There are 3 common varieties: Tainung No. 2, Sunrise and Hongfei.

Huang Shih-huang explains that Tainung No. 2 is mainly cultivated in net houses and is the variety with the largest planted area across Taiwan. It has been bred for more than 30 years, and its flesh is orange-red. Because of its good quality and high yield, it holds an unshakable position in the papaya world, and most papayas seen on the market are Tainung No. 2.

Sunrise is also cultivated in net houses. It was introduced from abroad and bred by the Fengshan Experimental Station. Its yield is lower and individual fruits tend to be small, averaging between 400-600 grams. Hongfei, meanwhile, was bred by Known-You Seed Co. itself. It has higher tolerance to viral diseases and can be planted in the open field, but its fruits tend to be large, with one nearly 30 cm, so its acceptance in the domestic market is relatively low.

Related Articles

• How to prevent and control rabies in dogs? Timely vaccination of puppies ensures safetyFeb 7
• How to Explore Keelung's Fishing Port Docks? Practical Tips for Picking Fresh SeafoodFeb 7
• The Slow Food movement advocates that how you eat matters more than what you eat, helping you eat your way to healthFeb 7
• How to Identify Inferior Cooking Oil? Key Points for Quality Control from Cultivation to PurchaseFeb 7
• Which agricultural activities require tax payment? The ranch court case clarifies the boundary of tax exemptionFeb 7
• Ractopamine, a lean meat agent, is banned; scientific pig farming to increase lean meat percentage is the right pathFeb 7
• Horizontal Windbreak Nets for Welsh Onion Cultivation in Winter Reduce LossesFeb 7
• Top Ten Fungicides Ranking Released, a Useful Reference for Farmers Choosing ProductsFeb 7