Content
Many people like to buy candied fruits obtained from exotic fruits. This is an excellent treat not only for kids, but also for adults. Candied papaya is easy to prepare yourself and it is important to know why they are so beneficial.
The benefits and harms of candied papaya
Papaya is a healthy and healing berry that has a powerful biologically active composition and resulting properties. Exotic fruits contain the following substances:
- vitamins (B1, B2, B5, C, D, E, carotene) in large quantities;
- minerals (Ca, P, Fe, Cl, K, Na, Zn);
- papain, a plant enzyme that resembles digestive juice in composition and action;
- natural sugars;
- antioxidants;
- various enzymes, for example, improving heart rate, restoring cartilage tissue of intervertebral discs, others;
- a lot of fiber.
Once inside the digestive tube, papain begins to actively participate in the breakdown of nutrients supplied with food, primarily proteins. Therefore, the introduction of papaya into the daily diet is indicated for patients whose bodies do not cope well with the digestion and assimilation of food of animal origin.Papain is composed of pepsin and protease, digestive enzymes that break down proteins into amino acids. It is active in acidic, neutral, and alkaline environments, unlike the enzymes that our body produces.
The presence of plant fibers allows you to cleanse the bloodstream of “bad” cholesterol, prevents the formation of blood clots, and also heals and improves the functioning of the digestive tract. Papaya has antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties, reduces the intensity of pain in arthritis and osteoporosis. In fresh and dried form, it is an excellent anthelmintic and antiparasitic agent. Papaya is recommended to be included in the menu for those patients who are prone to frequent colds, as the fruits strengthen the immune system well.
Papaya has antipyretic properties because it contains salicylic acid, which has an antiviral effect. Papaya is also a good antidepressant. Helps eliminate skin problems, makes it elastic, velvety to the touch, and also promotes rapid healing of damage and microtrauma. It has a beneficial effect on the female body during the premenstrual period. The low calorie content and fat-burning properties of papaya will benefit anyone who wants to lose weight, especially if combined with pineapple. The berry is indispensable for breaking fast, fasting days, and following low-calorie diets.
The beneficial properties of candied papaya differ depending on the degree of ripening. Green fruits contain a lot of alkaloids, which makes them poisonous, and little glucose and fructose, which ripe berries are so rich in. Indian women used to use the unripe fruits to prevent unwanted pregnancies.When papaya ripens, it becomes absolutely safe.
Candied Papaya Recipes
You rarely see candied papaya on sale (as you can see in the photo). More often you come across pineapple or other exotic fruits. Therefore, if you want to enjoy dried papaya pieces, you should prepare them yourself. This is much safer and guarantees that the product will be natural, without chemical additives and dyes.
How to choose
Firstly, you need to choose the right berry. It is grown mainly in Mexico, and the journey from there is long. Therefore, papaya fruits are usually harvested unripe. They contain a lot of alkaloids, toxic substances, the use of which can adversely affect the condition of the body. And this is the main danger that needs to be avoided when choosing berries. Papaya should be a rich yellow color or have bright orange barrels on its green skin, indicating its ripening.
How to clean
Papaya comes in different sizes: small and large like a melon. Scientists consider it a berry, although the weight of the fruit often reaches 5-7 kg. In the first case, you first need to peel the fruit, and then cut it in half, remove the seeds and then cut into small pieces for withering, drying or preparing candied candied fruits.
If the fruit is large, you should first divide it into two longitudinal parts and scoop out all the seeds with a spoon. Then, when the papaya is quite impressive in size, additionally cut it into several pieces to make it easier to remove the skin with a knife. Then also chop into pieces convenient for further technological processing.
How to cook in sugar syrup
When preparing candied papaya, the same technology is followed as when candiing other fruits.
Ingredients:
- papaya – 1 kg;
- sugar – ½ kg;
- water – ½ l;
- lemon – 1 pc.
Mix sugar and water, bring to a boil, place diced papaya in syrup. Cook for 5 minutes, then set aside. When the whole mass has cooled, heat it again to +100 degrees and boil for the same amount of time. Twice will be enough. Dip the lemon cut into rings into the hot solution and wait until it cools completely.
Carefully transfer the fruit mixture to a sieve and allow it to dry, which may take several hours. Then transfer the papaya pieces to the electric dryer rack and turn on the +50 degree mode. If the candied fruits will be cooked in the oven (<+60 C), the door should be opened slightly to ensure air circulation.
After 4-6 hours, you can check the degree of readiness and remove. Under the influence of hot air, the pieces of fruit will be covered with a film on top, but the inside will remain soft and quite juicy. Candied papaya turns out to be red and very appetizing to look at.
How to cook in an electric dryer
Papaya contains a lot of glucose and fructose; it is an exceptionally sweet berry. Candied fruits can be prepared without the use of sugar syrup, using a modern electric dryer. The device has a heating element that provides a flow of hot air, as well as a fan that increases the intensity of its distribution.
Peel the fruit, cut into slices or pieces of such a size that they easily fit on a wire tray. Dry the berries at a temperature no higher than +50 degrees. The trays in an electric dryer are usually removable. Therefore, for uniform treatment with warm air, the lower and upper tiers should be swapped from time to time. It will take approximately 6-8 hours to prepare candied fruits. When using an electric dryer during the cooking process, the maximum benefits of candied papaya are preserved.
other methods
After soaking in sugar syrup, candied fruits can be dried not in an oven or electric dryer, but done in the traditional way, in the air. Place the fruit pieces on a baking sheet previously covered with parchment paper and leave in a well-ventilated, dry place. Over the course of several days, they will dry out, ventilated by the air flow, and excess moisture will evaporate.
You can also dry pieces of candied fruit in the microwave. Microwave radiation penetrates the pulp and interacts with water molecules, thereby forcing it to evaporate very quickly. Here the drying process is much more intense than in all other cases. The largest candied fruits should be placed along the edges of the tray, since it is in this place that the interaction is stronger.
Calorie content of candied papaya
Candied papaya can have different energy values depending on the cooking method. If they were made without additional ingredients, primarily sugar, then the calorie content in this case will be low - 57 kcal per 100 g. Such candied fruits are more suitable for people suffering from obesity, prediabetes and diabetes, as well as some other diseases that require compliance low carbohydrate diet.
How much candied papaya can you eat per day?
It is not recommended to include more than 50 g of candied papaya into the diet per day, as their calorie content is quite high. You need to start with one or more cubes to avoid allergic reactions.
Dried papaya pieces cooked in an electric dryer are lower in calories, so they are good to use as snacks between meals as a replacement for confectionery sweets. The daily portion can be 100 g of product or a little more.
Conclusion
Candied papaya is an ideal food for those who want to lose weight. Low calorie content, beneficial and healing properties - all this makes the product an important component of dietary nutrition. Candied fruits are easy to prepare at home and used as a rich source of natural sugars, vitamins and other essential substances.
