The study of the extraction of pectin from dried lemon peels.

Abstract

Pectin is a polysaccharide found in plant cell walls. It is a linear molecular chain of D-galacturonic acid units linked by a 1—»4 glycosidic bonds. Pectin is widely used in the food industry. The main sources of pectin are citrus fruits and apple. In South Africa, pectin is still imported whereas it can be produced from waste peels that result from citrus processing. A consortium was formed by CSIRBio/Chemtek, Chemin, Kat River Co-op and University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) to investigate pectin production. UKZN was to develop the drying (for off-season purposes) and extraction technology required for pectin production. The project was categorized into two phases; the drying and the extraction phases.