Papain (EC 3.4.22.2) is a minor constituent
(5–8%) among the papaya endopeptidases [1–3]. The
enzyme is used widely as meat tenderizer, and has also several
other applications, e.g. for defibrinating wounds, treatment
of edemas, shrink proofing of wool, etc. Purification of papain
from papaya latex has traditionally been achieved by precipitation
methods [4–6], however, the purified enzyme still remains
contaminated with other proteases. An alternative purification
strategy has involved the use of various chromatographic techniques
including ion exchange, covalent, or affinity chromatography
[1,7–10], but here the initial processing of the latex is
essential before samples can be applied on a chromatography
column