Pawpaw: A New Fat Substitute?

Prepared Foods, May, 2001

Researchers at Ohio University found that pawpaw, a mango-like fruit, could make lowfat baked goods more palatable. Their study asked 114 people to taste test three types of muffins--a higher-fat recipe that used vegetable oil and two lowfat alternatives, one made with applesauce and the other with pawpaw, a fruit that tastes similar to mango or banana. Participants rated the muffins made with pawpaw as highly as those made with oil and more desirable than those made with applesauce. Melani Duffrin, lead author of the study, suggests consumers may accept the puree of the pawpaw as a fat substitute in commercial food products or a food item itself.

The pawpaw tree can grow in various regions of eastern and central North America, as far north as Ontario, Canada, as far south as Florida and as far west as Nebraska. The fruit, about three to six inches in length, has a tough green skin and orange or yellow pulp, with about six almond-shaped seeds.

Source: Ohio University.