papain

American  

[puh-pey-in, -pahy-in] / pəˈpeɪ ɪn, -ˈpaɪ ɪn /

noun

1. Biochemistry. a proteolytic enzyme found in the fruit of the papaya tree, Carica papaya.

2. Pharmacology. a commercial preparation of this used as a meat tenderizer and in medicine as a digestant.

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papain British  

/ pəˈpeɪɪn, -ˈpaɪɪn /

noun

1. a proteolytic enzyme occurring in the unripe fruit of the papaya tree, Carica papaya: used as a meat tenderizer and in medicine as an aid to protein digestion

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Etymology

Origin of papain

First recorded in 1885–90; papa(ya) + -in ²

Example Sentences

For example, pineapple have a protease called bromelain, kiwifruit has actinidin and papaya have papain.

From US News • Apr. 27, 2016

If papain had the same effect on human slipped discs, he reasoned, they would shrink back into place.

From Time Magazine Archive

One evening, he gave adolescent rabbits intravenous injections of papain.

From Time Magazine Archive

Now papain is moving from the kitchen into the operating room.

From Time Magazine Archive

The ripe fruit is edible and its taste quite agreeable; in some of the Malay Islands it is given for dysentery, but it must be remembered that the ripe fruit does not contain papain.

From The Medicinal Plants of the Philippines by Thomas, Jerome Beers