Products

 Pectin

Pectin is a structural polysaccharide of the cell wall of plants, Commercial pectin is commonly extracted from apples and citrus fruits. Pectin is an important polysaccharide with applications in foods, Pharmaceuticals, and a number of other industries. Pectin can be used for numerous applications, mainly because it is a safe, non-toxic product with low production cost and high availability. Widely using in jams, fruit juices, desserts, dairy products, jellies, and more recently in low‐calorie foods as a fat and/or sugar replacer. Its importance in the food sector lies in its ability to form gel in the presence of calcium ions or a solute at low pH. pH, presence of other solutes, molecular size, degree of methoxylation, number and arrangement of side chains, and charge density on the molecule can influence the gelation of pectin. Meron offers two types of pectin – HM Pectin & LM pectin

HM pectins form gels in solutions with a high concentration of soluble solids and acid medium (pH < 3.5).  LM pectins form gels over a wide pH range (2.0–6.0) with the proper concentration of calcium ions

Functional Properties

• Pectin is generally used in the food industry as a gelling, thickening, stabilizing, and emulsifying agent.
• Pectin forms hydrogels and is therefore widely used in hydrated and viscous foods.
• Pectin is used in frozen foods to retard crystal growth, loss of syrup during thawing, and to improve their shape.
• LM pectin is used that forms pectin-calcium gels in the products. Other natural gums such as agar and carrageenan are also used in low-sugar products.
• HM pectin is used to make flavored candies. Neutral flavor pectin (no fruit flavor) can be used to make confectionery.
• Pectin is used in edible coatings to inhibit lipid migration in confectionery products and also used as a beverage-clouding agent.
• Other applications of pectin include use in edible films, paper substitute, foams and plasticizers, etc.