Acid Extraction And Characterization Of Pectin From Malaysian Honeydew (cucumis Melo L. Var. Inodorous) Peels As An Alternative For Halal Food Thickener

Pectin is found to be widely used as additives in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Thisstudy was carried out using conventional acid extraction method. The influences of different acidreagents used (citric acid and nitric acid), extraction time (30, 45 and 60 min) and temperature (60,70 and 80 °C) towards the extraction yield and its degree of esterification (DE) of pectin fromCucumis melo L. var. inodorous peels being investigated. Citric acid gives the maximum yields ofpectin (35.26%) under optimum condition at 80 °C and 60 min. Extraction time and temperature weresignificantly (p>0.05) affected the amount of pectin yields, whereby the optimum condition for bothacids were at 80 °C and 60 min. The degree of esterification (DE) of the isolated pectin in this studywas 50.38 % and 59.88 % respectively for citric acid and nitric acid where this pectin was consideredas high methoxyl pectin (HMP).
From the color analysis, the value for ‘L’, ‘a’ and ‘b’ for citric and nitric acid were significantly different (p>0.05) between each other. Citric acid has a lighter color ofpectin extract which is preferable to be commercialized. Pectin from honeydew waste is a novel foodingredient in Malaysia and could be as an excellent alternative for replacing gelatin in food industrialapplications and other non-food potential interventions.