Pectin
Citrus Pectin is a kind of polysaccharide. It is mostly found in the plant’s cell wall and cell inner layer, and derived from the peels of citrus, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit etc.. It is a white to yellow powder that can dissolve in water forming viscous solutions. It is a carbohydrate used as a gelling agent, thickener and stabiliser due to its hydrocolloid properties.
The ratio of esterified galacturonic acid groups to total galacturonic
acid groups is termed the degree of esterification (DE).
A DE of 50% conventionally divides commercial pectin products into
high methylester(HM) pectin and low methylester (LM) pectin.
HM pectin requires a minimum amount of soluble solids (SS) and a
pH around 3.0 or lower in order to form gels.
LM pectin requires the presence of a controlled amount of calcium,
or other divalent cations, to form a gel by “bridging” between
adjacent chains and therefore is more flexible with respect to sugar
and/or acid.
Raw Material
Mainly citrus fruits are used as raw materials for the manufacture of commercial pectin. Lemon’ citrus pectin is derived from the peel of lemon, lime from Mexico/Argentina and orange from Brazil/China. The raw materials for pectin production are by-products from juice and oil pressing (citrus and apple), which is washed in water to remove SS (soluble solids). The raw materials are dried before shipment to the pectin plant.