Abstract:Carica Papaya is one of the widely cultivated tropical fruits with high nutritious values. As the waste of papaya pulp processing, papaya seeds contain glucosinolates, which account for about 7% of papaya weight. Glucosinolates mainly present in cellular vacuoles, which can be hydrolyzed to produce isothiocyanates (ITCs) when exposed to mustard enzymes. ITCs is a secondary metabolite of cruciferae with anti-cancer and antibacterial effects and also an important intermediate in organic synthesis. The benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) is one of the most obvious biological effects in ITCs. BITC has a significant inhibitory effect on many cancers by blocking the proliferation and differentiation of cancer cells; and it can inhibit or even kill the pathogenic bacteria, which can act on bacteria and moulds. This review summarizes the research progress of anticancer and antibacterial functions of BITC, , and provides some theoretical basis for further processing of byproduct of papaya seed BITC as well as the improvement of comprehensive utilization rate of Carica Papaya.
