Carica papaya, as many people know as papaya, betik (in Malaysia) and pawpaw (in Australia), is one of the major crops in Malaysia for fresh consumption and as processed products such as juice, medicine and cosmetics. Papaya has become an essential and nutritional commodity that involves many roles. Papaya benefits It has a lower concentration of cholesterol and fat while exceeding the daily minimal requirement of vitamins A and C to improve vision and immunity (Pinnamaneni, 2017). Furthermore, its low minerals but high phytochemical content had been encouraged by the public as fruits that fit people with different health conditions (Saeed et al., 2014). In the economic field, the enzyme from the raw papaya fruits, papain had been applied to food processing to
Carica papaya, as many people know as papaya, betik (in Malaysia) and pawpaw (in Australia), is one of the major crops in Malaysia for fresh consumption and as processed products such as juice, medicine and cosmetics. Papaya has become an essential and nutritional commodity that involves many roles. Papaya benefitsIt has a lower concentration of cholesterol and fat while exceeding the daily minimal requirement of vitamins A and C to improve vision and immunity (Pinnamaneni, 2017). Furthermore, its low minerals but high phytochemical content had been encouraged by the public as fruits that fit people with different health conditions (Saeed et al., 2014). In the economic field, the enzyme from the raw papaya fruits, papain had been applied to food processing to digest the proteins for better texture on dairy products and meat, which could improve the production rate and quality (Bekhit et al., 2014; Abe et al., 2015). Economic importante for MalaysiaBased on its nutritional and economic benefits, papaya has become one of the most important commercial crops for export in Malaysia (Dardak, 2017). In 2020, Malaysia contributed 2.38% of total papaya global export where the main export of papaya is Mexico (32.3%). Malaysia had earned around 7.28 million dollars of export value from the papaya which the main buyers of the papaya are Singapore (96.5%) (Tridge, 2020). However, compared to 2017, the export value and the productivity of the papaya had increased drastically by 21.85% and 26.28% respectively (Tridge, 2020). It is suggested this issue involved strong competition via technological advancement and export and production preferences from time to time. Postharvest lossesPostharvest losses also limit the export potential and detain economic growth due to the quality changes that failed the requirement for export (Jabatan Pertanian Malaysia, 2020). In the past, Quintana and Paull (1993) and Godoy et al. (2010) had stimulated mechanical damages via impact application, showing poor handling of the fruits had generated abrasion and fruit puncture, which exposed the internal tissue and affected the overall quality of the fruits. In addition, the maturity stage also promotes the losses by allowing a better injury pathway for invasion. Subsequently, these injuries caused various invasions of pathogens, specifically fungi such as Colletotrichum spp., Lasiodiploidia spp. and Fusarium spp. Importance of detection methods vs control strategiesThese pathogens had different growth cycles, environment adaptation and invasion strategies, leading to the difficulty in eradicating them at once during transportation. Subsequently, serious global food insecurity could be severed when the demand could not align with the supply while the population is still increasing (FAO I, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, 2020). Moreover, many countries will be suffering from the malnutrition ?pandemic?, specifically those in developing countries where their access to food is limited (FAO I, UNICEF, WFP and WHO, 2020). Therefore, detection methods instead of control strategies are encouraged to alert each member of the postharvest chain about the potential risk and strategize before the postharvest loss becomes irreversible on a larger scale. This article reviewed various postharvest diseases of papaya that are commonly widespread in Malaysia. Additionally, current and novel detection strategies for the postharvest diseases of papaya have been highlighted by comparing the benefits and drawbacks of each technology. SummaryTo reduce postharvest losses, early diagnosis and identification are recommended to detect the spread of the diseases while constructing effective postharvest management against them. Traditional diagnosis techniques are commonly used to detect causal agents by relying on visible observations as well as biochemical analysis. More advanced technologies are introduced using molecular and immunological approaches which provide sensitive and accurate identification of postharvest diseases. However, due to their pricing and effectiveness, biosensors are optimal for replacing the limitations of these conventional techniques for effective and user-friendly disease diagnosis on-field. Subsequently, postharvest control of papaya fruit could be opted to delay the disease establishment by understanding the pathogen's identity. This review assesses critically the progress that has been made in postharvest disease diagnosis in papaya. Prospective methods of diagnosis are also elaborated. SourcesMajor fungal postharvest diseases of papaya: Current and prospective diagnosis methodsGuang Heng Tan, Asgar Ali & Yasmeen Siddiqui?Crop ProtectionAvailable online 29 August 2023, 106399https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2023.106399https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0261219423002223Picture,?Papaya Disease & White Growth Anomaly Photographs,?Photos of stringy sinuous white growth in the fruit of the Papaya (pawpaw) (Carica papaya L.)https://inspectapedia.com/pollen_photos/Papaya_Diseases.php