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INTRODUCTION
Pectin has wide applications in a variety of food formulations as jellying and thickening agent. Since it sets into Jelly in sugar-acid solution, it is regularly used in the preparation of jams, jellies and marmalades. In addition to this pectin have many other uses in food and pharmaceutical industries. Pectin is also being recommended for use as fat replacer. On account of its ever-increasing use and demand pectin has become an indispensable ingredient in food industry.
In industrialized countries, citrus waste and apple pomace are the main sources of pectin. In India, food grade pectin (150 grades) is obtained on a limited scale (approx. 30 tonnes/year) mainly from lime peel and most of the current demand of about 250-300 tonnes/year of pectin is get through imports. Indigenous production of high grade pectin is of economic significance as it will not only reduce the imports but also the desired food formulation can be made by using lesser quantities of it. Moreover production of high-grade pectin (~ 200) has not been achieved successfully on commercial scale. Thus there exists a wide gap between production and demand for pectin. Food Technology & Enzyme Engineering Division of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre has recently developed a laboratory scale process at a scale of 2 kg of dry lime peel, corresponding to a yield of around 300 g of upgraded (200 grade) pectin.
PROCESS
Citrus processing industries generating large amounts of fruit peel as waste can make use of this process to manufacture value added products in the form of pectin. Major gains for the industry are (1) it can make use of the waste to produce a value added product and (2) it can boost indigenous production of high-grade pectin as import substitute. (3) The depectinised waste can be utilized, as cattle feed.
The lab-scale process consists of the following steps:
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Preparation of raw material.
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Extraction of pectin in a suitable medium.
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Separation of pectin from the medium with a suitable solvent.
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Drying and powdering of pectin.
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Packaging.
The yield of pectin is about 15% on dry weight basis of peel. The grade of the pectin thus prepared is >/ 200. Elemental analysis of pectin conforms to PFA standards. The solvent used in the process is recovered to an extent of 90% and can be reused.
An advantage of the method is the reduction in the bulk of extract in the initial stage making handling easier. It also favors usage of lesser quantities of solvent per cycle for pectin precipitation. This will have a bearing on the unit cost of production. Remainder of peel cap-be used as cattle feed.
EQUIPMENT AND OTHER FACILITIES
- Boiler
- SS containers - 304 or 316 grade
- Transfer pumps
- Filter press
- Basket centrifuge
- Dryer unit
- Milling machine
- Distillation unit
- Sealing machine
- Packaging material
- Weighing machine
- Refractometer
- Quality control laboratory equipped with facilities like analytical balance, gas burners, chemicals and glassware.
INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES FOR SCALE UP PLANT
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Land - approx. 50 ft x 100 ft for housing plant and office
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Power to run boiler (if not oil-based) and pumps
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Water in substantial quantity as part of extraction media and as coolant
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Man power - skilled and semi-skilled workers (20) may be required for a conceptual scale-up plant capacity of 12 tonnes pectin per annum
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No significant effluent is generated for which pollution control measures are required.
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