Extraction and Screening of Papain Enzyme from Papaya Leaves

Student: Sulaiman Salisu Ahmad (Project, 2025)
Department of Biochemistry
Northwest University, Kano, Kano State

Abstract

Microbial enzymes play a crucial role in various industrial and biotechnological applications. This study aimed to extract and analyze the enzymatic activity of a crude extract using spectrophotometric analysis and agar diffusion assay. The absorbance values at different substrate concentrations were used to generate a standard curve, from which the enzyme activity was determined to be 21.07 mg/ml. The qualitative screening of papain activity using the agar diffusion assay revealed significant enzymatic action, with the sample producing a halo diameter of 13 mm compared to 28 mm for the standard papain solution and 21 mm for the positive control. The negative control exhibited minimal activity with a halo diameter of 5 mm, confirming the enzymatic specificity of the extracted sample. These findings highlight the potential application of the extracted enzyme in industrial and pharmaceutical processes. Further optimization and purification are recommended to enhance enzyme yield and stability for commercial applications.

Keywords
papain enzyme extraction papaya leaves biochemistry enzyme screening protease biotechnology
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