A comparative study of the separation and chemical composition of unfermented, fermented and chloroform extracts of ripe Carica papaya seeds (Homestead Variety)

Abstract

The renewed interest in papaya is as a result of its major compounds, such as those associated with antifertility, antibacterial, antihelminthic activities. The ripe Carica papaya seed was used in this study. The chemical composition of unfermented fermented, and chloroform extracts of Carica papaya seed of Homestead variety was analysed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopic (GCMS) techniques. Data analysis and identification of compounds were performed using NIST Mass Spectral Library Software for correct matching. The separation yielded a total of 31 compounds from the three samples of papaya seed. In the unfermented papaya seed extract, 12 compounds were identified, in the fermented papaya seed extract, 9 compounds were identified while in the chloroform extracted papaya seed, 10 compounds were identified. The major components of the unfermented seeds extract were acetamide (17.44%), octadecanoic acid (13.73%), benzenemethanamine (12.32%) and oleic acid (12.31%), while the major components of the fermented seeds were oleic acid (57.47%), cis-vaccenic acid (13.09%), and n-hexadecanoic acid (13.40%). The main compounds of the chloroform extract were oleic acid (41.36%), palmitic acid (15.73%), cis-13-octadecenoic acid (15.50%), trans-13- octadecenoic acid (5.44%) and stearic acid (3.05%). The compounds identified in the three papaya seed samples in this study, with their associated activity according to literature search, are as follows: antifertility (Oleic, n-hexadecanoic, palmitic, 6-Octadecenoic and cis-13-Octadecenoic acids), antibacterial (Oleic acid, Palmitic acid, Petanoic acid 4-methyl, and Cyclononasiloxane octadecamethyl) and antihelminthic (n-hexadecanoic acid). The compound n-hexadecanoic acid was identified in the fermented papaya seed. The information provided by this study should initiate further chemical investigations into the fermented extraction of the ripe Carica papaya seed.