The products are a formulation of parts of the pawpaw fruit together with other naturally occurring and easily available ingredients.
NARO develops organic weight loss, skin care products
Scientists from the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), Namulonge, have developed natural products for weight loss management and skincare from pawpaw.
NaCRRI is an institute under the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO).
The products are a formulation of parts of the pawpaw fruit together with other naturally occurring and easily available ingredients.
Erasmus Mukiibi, a pawpaw researcher at NaCRRI.
Officials said this will not only contribute to the income security of pawpaw farmers in Uganda, but also address the health and beauty concerns of the population.
Erasmus Mukiibi, a pawpaw researcher at NaCRRI, said the pawpaw plant as a whole can provide a number of products and bi-products of value to mankind.
He, however, said unveiling the benefits from the products requires the application of modern analytical methods to extract the specific elements of value and package them accordingly.
“For the skin lightening oil, the process began with selecting mature and ripe pawpaw fruits with less or no market value. The sliced pulp, including seeds, is blended. A plant-based carrier oil is added for priming extraction of oil. The oil is thereafter cooled by air and filtered several times to produce a pure product that is ready for use,” he said.
A sample of skincare oil made from pawpaw.
On the other hand, Mukiibi said, the weight loss pawpaw beverage is produced by first selecting and cleaning mature ripe pawpaw fruit.
“The seeds are dehydrated and crushed into a powder, which is added to the plant-based leaf extract. The cocktail is enhanced with plant-based flavours and or sweeteners such as natural bee honey and is ready for use,” he added.
Pawpaw wine
A research report by NaCRRI shows that scientists have made significant strides in other value-added products, including pawpaw wine, meat tenderiser, and solar dried pawpaw chips.
“We have also successfully substituted synthetic sugar with pawpaw purée by 100% and 50% in the making of confectioneries such as mandazi and cakes respectively. Through making wine, we have been able to reduce post-harvest losses by almost 100% since only the non-marketable fruits are used,” the report adds.
Skin lightening
Dr Ephraim Nuwamanya, a biochemist working with the NaCRRI-based nutrition and bioanalytical laboratory, said pawpaw has got loads of papain, an enzyme that breaks down proteins.
He said the enzyme has the ability to digest off the used-up skin and, thus, allowing the new skin to grow, which is lighter in complexion.
Nuwamanya said pawpaw, especially the seeds, have higher levels of antioxidants compared to even tea.
“Pawpaw contains antioxidants such as vitamin C and flavonoids that reduce the concentration of cholesterol, a bad fat, in the body. The antioxidants increase the metabolism of cholesterol and, thus, reducing its concentration in the body. This gives chance to the regeneration of new useful muscle in the body,” he said.
Mukiibi said farmers are the first direct beneficiaries of the innovations.
He said much as the weight loss beverage and skin lightening products have been developed from pawpaw, they await biochemical profiling to ascertain the exact proportions of the nutritive compounds therein, as well as official certification before they can be availed on the market.
Early last year, the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) banned 177 cosmetics because they contained traces of Hydroquinone, a depigmenting agent used to lighten areas of darkened skin, as well as mercury, a heavy and dangerous metal.
UNBS said these products on long-term use could lead to skin discolouration, kidney and skin cancer as well as liver damage.
However, Dr Ogwang Edward, an expert working with the Skin Specialist’s Clinic in Wandegeya, Kampala, said pawpaw has got a lot of antioxidants such as vitamin C that are very vital for skin nourishment.
He said organic cosmetics are a game-changer but cautioned the public against the use of any skin products before rigorous tests have been carried out to ascertain their safety.
Fruit growing in Uganda
Uganda is the second-largest producer of fresh fruits and vegetables in sub-Saharan Africa, after Nigeria, producing about 5.3 million tonnes per year, according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Experts estimate the productivity of pawpaw in the country at 10 tonnes per hectare and planted under 2,000 hectares of land.
Market reports reveal that Uganda earns about $0.48m annually from the export of pawpaw.
However, research reports indicate that fruit and vegetable post-harvest losses in the sub-Saharan region range from 30% to 80%, depending on the crop.
This is mainly attributed to the limited skills in post-harvest management, leading to limited access, utilisation of the fruits and thus, contributing to significant levels of malnutrition and poverty in the region.
Therefore, reports make case for deliberate efforts to empower smallholder farmers and other stakeholders to process and add value to fruits to reduce poverty, hunger and malnutrition among the youth, women and children.
