Carica papaya latex has been reported to contain lipolytic activity since 1925, nevertheless the efforts to isolate lipolytic enzymes directly from the latex matrix have been unsuccessful. Nowadays papaya genome is known and heterologous expression is an alternative to overcome this problem. Therefore, in this study, Carica papaya lipase I sequence (CpLip1) has been identified in papaya genome and for the first time, functionally expressed using Pichia pastoris as host system. Purification of the recombinant enzyme was carried out by affinity chromatography and reached a 7-fold purification factor with 25 U/mg in the purified fraction. Interestingly, homology modeling with lipases of known structure revealed homology with microbial lipases. The biochemical characterization of the purified enzyme shows that CpLip1 hydrolyzed preferentially long-chain triglycerides, it has an optimal pH of 8.5 and an optimal temperature of 35 degrees C. Finally, the study of its stability in organic solvents showed that, as many lipases, CpLip1 activity is affected in polar solvents. This contribution opens the possibility of studying the catalytic performance of pure CpLip1 in several reactions, and a better understanding of the role of lipases in Carica papaya. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.