THE colour of ripe Carica papaya flesh is due to caro-tenoid. Cryptoxanthin, violaxanthin, β-carotene, and ζ-carotene have been identified1,2 in yellow-fleshed fruit. Red-fleshed varieties, which appear to exhibit a single gene difference from yellow-fleshed types3, can also be found. It was of interest to establish the pigment composition of the red-fleshed variety and at the same time to make a quantitative comparison of the pigments in the yellow- and red-fleshed fruits.