Extraction of pectin from pomelo (Citrus maxima) peels with the assistance of microwave and tartaric acid

Pectin is a component of the plant cell and can be found in the primary cell wall and the middle lamella of plant tissues. Currently, pectin is a very important raw material, especially in the food and the pharmaceutical industries. There are several ways to extract pectin from different materials and solvents. One way to synthesize pectin is from the extraction of pomelo peel and this research specifically studies the extraction using tartaric acid as the solvent and under microwave assistance. Some properties of the synthesized pectin were tested such as DE and viscosity. The pH value, the rate of pomelo peels/solvent (w/v), the level of irradiation power and the irradiation time affected the productivity of pectin. The results showed that at pH value of 1.5, rate of pomelo peel/solvent was 1/40 and the irradiation time during 9 minutes at 660W of microwave power. The yield of pectin obtained 23.83%, pure pectin was 80.88% and it was rated as a high methoxyl pectin (HMP) (DE = 92.75%) with a low viscosity. The study proved that the use of tartaric acid solvent and microwave increased the quality and yield of synthesized pectin; moreover, this method was also time and energy saving.