Apart from being sweet and delicious, the papaya is also one of the most nutritious fruits around. It is especially rich in dietary fiber, folate, vitamin A, C, and E. It also contains small amount of calcium, iron, riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin. It is also very rich in antioxidant nutrients flavonoids and carotenes, very high in vitamin C plus A, and low in calories and sodium. These nutrients are known to promote the health of the cardiovascular system and also provide protection against colon cancer.
The ripe papaya is very juicy and has a butter-like texture. Because of its fragile nature, fresh papaya fruit must be properly packed to ensure that it survives the harsh shipping environment and arrive in its most delicious state. Here are some tips on how to properly pack and ship fresh papaya.
Only ship papayas that are a little under-ripe as they are sturdier and more likely to survive the trip. This will also give them time to ripen while in transit and arrive in their best form.
Clean the papaya with a damp cloth and then dry completely before packing. Moisture can promote bacterial growth that leads to rotting.
Wrap the papaya in paper towels and then in the newspaper. Use tape to secure the wrap in place.
Layer the bottom of a sturdy shipping box with straw packing material and place the papaya in the center. Add more straw packing materials on the sides and top of the box. The straw material will provide cushion and prevent the fruit from bumping into sides of the box during the rigorous shipping process.
When shipping several papayas in one package, wrap each fruit individually and arrange inside the box with cushioning materials in between to prevent them from bumping into each other. Use a lot of packing materials on the sides and top of the box as weel. There should be no empty space that will allow the fruits to move around.
Close the box and seal with packing tape. Address and label the package and take to your shipping company.
Depending on the weather and stage of ripeness of the papayas, you may want to include heat or cold pack in the package. Unripe, firm, or green papaya can take four to five days to ripen at room temperature. Lower temperature can slow down the ripening process even more.
Alert the recipient of the incoming package to be sure that someone can receive it from the delivery personnel. Also, avoid shipping fresh fruits or other highly perishable items close to weekends or holidays.