Modification of pectin with high-pressure processing treatment of fresh orange peel before pectin extraction: Part I. The effects on pectin extraction and structural properties

The possibility of utilizing endogenous plant pectin methyl-esterase (PME) to modify pectin in source material prior to pectin extraction is proposed and explored in this study. This is based on the reports about activation of endogenous PME in plant-based foods by high-pressure processing (HPP) treatment. Fresh orange (Hamlin) peel from a local commercial juice plant was pretreated with HPP at different combinations of pressures and durations, followed by pectin extraction with a commercial method. The effects of HPP pretreatments on pectin yield and structural properties of the extracted pectins were determined. HPP pretreatment increased the yield of subsequent pectin extraction by 41.10 %. Crude extracts from HPP-treated peels showed higher PME activities than the untreated peel. Pectins extracted from HPP pretreated peel (Hp) had a lower degree of methyl-esterification (DM), accompanied by an increase in degree of blockiness (DB) of non-esterified galacturonic acid (GalA) than the control (pectin extracted from un-treated peel). GalA content and linearity of pectin (LP) were higher, while neutral sugar content and degree of branching (DBr) were lower in Hp. The reduction in weight average molecular weight of Hp was minor, and it was positively correlated with a reduction in neutral sugars, indicating an effect of pectin debranching without degradation of the pectin main chain. The effects of HPP on the pectin main chain, degree, and distribution of methyl-esterification in this study were similar to the reported effects of orange PME on extracted pectin. The identified pectin structural features were validated by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis and a newly developed lateral flow assay. The study indicates that HPP modification of pectin structure in fresh orange peel before pectin extraction may be an efficient and economical way to generate pectin with desirable structural features and to increase pectin yield.