Abstract
Pectin is a complex hetero polysaccharide mainly found in the primary cell wall of dicotyledonous plants and it is extensively employed as a gelling agent, thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier in food industry. This study was designed to extract and characterize pectin from waste of Cucurbita maxima. Pectin was extracted separately from core, peel and whole fruit of Cucurbita maxima by the method of acid hydrolysis. Subsequently, extracted pectin was isolated from acid solution through ethanol precipitation. Extracted pectin was dried at 40 ± 1°C overnight. Physiochemical properties and solubility of dried pectin were evaluated using different tests. The highest yield was reported for the fresh pumpkin peel extracted using 0.1 N hydrochloric acid at 80 ± 5°C, 1.25 pH for 1 hour. In addition moisture content, ash content, crude fibre content, crude fat content, crude protein content and degree of esterification of extracted pectin were 4.53% (SD 1.24%), 3.11 (SD 0.16%), 4.47% (SD 0.3%), 3.22% (SD 0.74%), 1.97% (SD 0.42%) and 67.64 (SD 0.89), respectively. In conclusion, pectin extracted from pumpkin waste can be categorized as high methoxy pectin.
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