Separation and Purification of Papain Crude Extract from Papaya Latex Using Quaternary Ammonium Ionic Liquids as Adjuvants in PEG-Based Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

Exploring the extraction, functional properties, and industrial applications of papain from Carica papaya

Papain a protease enzyme naturally present in the Carica papaya has gained significant interest across several industries due to its unique properties and versatility. The unique structure of papain imparts the functionality that assists in elucidating how papain enzyme works and making it beneficial for a variety of purposes. This review highlights recent advancements in papain extraction techniques to enhance production efficiency to meet market demand. The extraction of papain from the Carica papaya plant offers various advantages such as cost-effectiveness, biodegradability, safety, and the ability to withstand a wide range of pH and temperature conditions. Key findings reveal that non-conventional papain extraction techniques offer significant advantages in terms of efficiency, product quality, and environmental sustainability. Furthermore, papain treatment enhances the value of final products due to its anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, and anti-obesity properties. The ability of papain to hydrolyze a wide range of proteins across various conditions makes it a suitable protease enzyme. While the study emphasizes the advantages of papain, the study also acknowledges limitations such as the continuous research and development to optimize extraction processes which will help unlock papain's potential and meet the growing demand. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Improvement effect of p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene on the performance of the PEG/salt aqueous two-phase system

The PEG/salt aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) is the most common ATPS, but its application is still limited due to the restricted polarity difference between the two phases and the poor enhancement effect of adjuvants on ATPS performance so far. Unlike the adjuvants used so far, calixarenes can bind ions and molecules via multiple noncovalent interactions. In the present study, a water-soluble calixarene, p-sulfonatocalix[4]arene (SC[4]), was used for the first time as the adjuvant to improve the performance of the PEG 600/(NH₄)₂SO₄ ATPS through multiple interactions. It is found that when the SC[4] and the SC[4]/imidazole ionic liquid ([C_nmim]Br) complex were used as the adjuvants, the formation of PEG 600/(NH₄)₂SO₄ ATPS was enhanced, and the transfer of the extracts (including S-mandelic acid, L-tryptophan, and L-phenylalanine) into the PEG phase was promoted. Moreover, although the single [C_nmim]Br, a commonly used adjuvant, does not promote the migration of the target molecules into the polymer phase, the SC[4]/[C_nmim]Br complex is superior to SC[4] in enhancing the performance of the ATPS because the SC[4]/[C_nmim]Br aggregates enable more binding sites to combine with the extract. Besides, the partition coefficient of SC[4] in the PEG/trisodium citrate ATPS is much smaller than that in the PEG/(NH₄)₂SO₄ ATPS, which is helpful for the recovery of extracts into the citrate phase.

Simultaneous Prediction, Determination, and Extraction of Four Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Environment Using a UCON-NaH2PO4 Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction System Combined with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet Detection

In this paper, a new aqueous two-phase extraction system(ATPES) consisting of UCON (poly(ethylene glycol-ran-propylene glycol) monobutyl ether)-NaH₂PO₄ was established, and four trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs: fluorene, anthracene, pyrene and phenanthrene) in water and soil were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultraviolet detection. In the multi-factor experiment, the central composite design (CCD) was used to determine the optimum technological conditions. The final optimal conditions were as follows: the concentration of UCON was 0.45 g·mL^-1, the concentration of NaH₂PO₄ was 3.5 mol·L^-1, and the temperature was 30 °C. The recovery of the four targets was 98.91-99.84% with a relative standard deviation of 0.3-2.1%. Then UCON recycling and cyclic tests were designed in the experiment, and the results showed that the recovery of PAHs gradually increased in the three extractions because of the remaining PAHs in the salt phase of last extraction. The recovery of PAHs in the UCON recycling test was less than that in the extraction test due to the wastage of UCON. In addition, a two-phase aqueous extraction model was established based on the random forest (RF) model. The results obtained were compared with the experimental data, and the root mean square error (RMSE) was 0.0371-0.0514 and the correlation coefficient R² was 96.20-98.53%, proving that the model is robust and reliable.