Abstract

CANTERI-SCHEMIN, Maria Helene; FERTONANI, Heloísa Cristina Ramos; WASZCZYNSKYJ, Nina  and  WOSIACKI, Gilvan. Extraction of pectin from apple pomace. Braz. arch. biol. technol. [online]. 2005, vol.48, n.2, pp. 259-266. ISSN 1516-8913.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1516-89132005000200013.

As apple-processing units are now in expansion in Brazil, industrial by-products like pomace play an important role in pectin manufacture. The objective of this article was to determine a pratical follow-up to the extraction of pectin from apple pomace and to characterize it in a laboratory, on a small scale, aiming at establishing the optimum conditions for acid extraction. The highest yields were obtained when [1]apple pomace was dried and ground to obtain an apple flour to be used as raw material, [2] citric or nitric acids were used and [3] when the citric acid concentration was 6.2 g/100 ml and the time of reaction was 153 minutes. The apple variety in itself was not significant in pectin yield. The degree of esterification (DE = 68.84 %) of the product obtained, as well as its physical looks, show the success of pectin extraction.

Keywords : Apple pomace; pectin; agricultural wastes; yield; extraction; Response Surface Methodology.