Extraction and characterization of gelling pectin from the peel of Poncirus trifoliata fruit

In the framework of searching for new pectin sources to partially compensate for domestic and regional demands, the peel (albedo) of the “non-comestible” fruit of Poncirus trifoliata was investigated using a relatively simple experimental design for optimization, in which only the variable was the extraction pH (1.0, 1.5, and 2.0) on the basis of our previous studies on diverse pectin sources. The results showed that the yield of pectin (7.4% 19.8%) was strongly influenced by the extraction pH when the other parameters, namely the solid to liquid extractant (S/L) ratio, temperature (T ̊C), and time (t) were fixed to 1:25 (w/v), 75 ̊C, and 90 min, respectively. Likewise, the galacturonic acid content (GalA: 61.4% 79.2%), total neutral sugar content (TNS: 9.1% 22.5%), degree of branching (3.5% 13.9%), homogalacturonan (HG) to rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I) ratio (2.2 5.6), degree of methylesterification (DM: 54 77), viscosity average molecular weight (Mν: 57 82), and gelling capacity (GC: 124 158) were all affected by the extraction pH. The optimum pH for producing pectin with good yield, quality characteristics (GalA > 65%, DM > 60, Mν > 80 kDa), and gelling capacity (GC > 150), from the peel of P. trifoliata fruit, was found to be pH 1.5.