All fruit should appear fresh with no shriveling, discoloration, or uneven ripening. Minimum sugar content should be 12 Brix, and pulp should be uniformly textured. A small seed cavity is preferred. Fruits of different sizes are separated and packed according to weight, resulting in different counts per carton. Most importers prefer small and medium-sized hermaphrodite fruit with 50 to 70 percent yellow coloration on arrival.
Some importers accept small female fruit.
Selected markets and importers require medium-sized and large fruit, particularly for ethnic or catering markets. Hermaphrodite fruit are preferred because large female fruit show a large cavity size and are more susceptible to mechanical damage. Unripe papayas are sensitive to ethylene and will commence ripening if stored with ethylene-producing commodities. Similarly, ripe papayas produce ethylene and will cause deterioration in ethylene-sensitive crops. This site was designed by Fintrac Inc. , under the auspices of the Asia Regional Agribusiness Project and through the sponsorship of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of Agriculture .