Extraction of pectin from used citrus limon and optimization of process parameters using response surface methodology

Pectin is a hetero polysaccharide; commonly obtained from waste peels of fruits and vegetables. Pectin found major application in pharmaceutical, food, chemical and biomedical industries as a thickener, stabilizer and gelling agent. In the present study, pectin was extracted from used lemon peels by alcohol precipitation method from the peels of Citrus Limon. When the process conditions were varied, a maximum yield of 59.62% was obtained, after which the yield was further enhanced by extracting at optimized process conditions. The pectin obtained was then subjected to qualitative and quantitative analyses and found desirable amount of methoxyl hyaluronic acid contents and degree of esterification. High molecular weight present in the pectin was investigated using MALDI-TOF Spectra analysis.