Application of Pectin in Food Industry

Pectin has always been a part of human natural diet. It is a safe and non-toxic natural food additive recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO Food Additives Committee. There is no daily limit on the amount of pectin added. As a functional food additive or ingredient, Pectin is mainly used in the food industry to gelle, thicken, improve texture, emulsify and stabilize.

(1) Yogurt products

Pectin, as an acid-resistant food gum, has a stabilizing effect on yogurt, which can also extend the shelf life of such products. In the production process of yogurt, different kinds of pectin have different functions. For example, adding high -ester pectin can stabilize the structure of yogurt, while adding low methoxyl pectin can prevent whey precipitation. In the process of making yogurt, the dosage of pectin should be strictly controlled. Once sufficient additives are not added, the charge will be neutralized and the repulsion force will be dissipated. The structure of dairy products cannot be stabilized, and they can only be added continuously. Only after new repulsion force is generated, the structure of acidic dairy products can remain stable.

(2) Jam

When producing jam, the content of pectin in the raw materials is too small, so the thickening effect of pectin can be used to effectively improve the delicacy of jam, make it have good fluidity and easy perfusion, which is suitable for the production of various flavors of jam. The dosage is generally 0.20% – 0.3% pectin. The amount of pectin used in low sugar jam is about 0.60%, and amidated low methoxy pectin or methoxy pectin can be used. Because fruits and water contain a certain amount of calcium ions, no calcium salt is needed.

(3) Bread

High methoxyl pectin has strong water absorption, which can not only increase the amount of dough but also improve the freshness, stability, and softness of the dough. Because the dough added with pectin has good ductility, the baking volume of bread will increase. For example, in the production of hamburgers, if the volume of hamburgers is kept unchanged, but pectin is added, the amount of flour used to make hamburgers of the same volume will be reduced by 30%. In addition, bread made with dough added with pectin can prolong the selling time of bread.

(4) Beverages

With people’s attention to diet health, low sugar drinks in the market have become more and more popular, but the taste of the drinks will also decline after the sweetness is reduced. In this regard, 0.05%~0.10% high methoxyl pectin can be added to increase the taste of the drink. High methoxyl pectin is a suspending agent. When it is added to a beverage containing pulp, it can react with calcium ions to produce a gelling reaction, thus reducing the hard substances caused by pulp precipitation, making the fruit grains evenly suspended in the beverage, and improving the taste of fruit juice. It not only overcomes the shortcomings of sodium alginate, such as poor pseudoplasticity, strong gum smell, and large turbidity but also plays a health role in stomach building and contact with lead poisoning.

(5) Soft candy

Pectin used in soft candy can make soft candy crystal transparent, elastic, non sticky, moderate sweetness, improve product quality, and is an understanding additive for advanced candy. The dosage is generally 0.8-2%. High methoxy delayed pectin is used for pectin soft candy, which allows for a long casting time, and early solidification will not occur when the soluble solids are high.