The function and application of LM pectin in the food industry

The function of LM pectin manufacturer

Pectin has always been a natural part of the human diet. It is a safe and non-toxic raw food additive recommended by the FAO/WHO Joint Committee on Food Additives. There is no daily limit on the amount of pectin added. Pectin has many functions. For example, as a natural vegetable colloid, pectin can be widely used in the food industry as a gelling agent, stabilizer, tissue-forming agent, emulsifier, and thickener. Pectin is also a water-soluble dietary fiber that enhances gastrointestinal peristalsis and promotes nutrient absorption.

It has a good effect on preventing and treating diarrhea, colon cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other diseases and is an excellent matrix for drug preparation. At the same time, pectin is a suitable heavy metal adsorbent because the molecular chain of pectin can form an “egg box” like network structure with high price metal ions, so pectin has a good adsorption function of heavy metals. In addition, pectin has film-forming properties, good water retention, and radiation resistance.

The application of LM pectin manufacturer

Pectin is used in the food industry as a food additive or ingredient, and it mainly plays a role in gelling, thickening, improving texture, emulsifying, and stabilizing. The solid content needs to be less than 60% of the product, and the product needs to contain calcium ions or other metal ions so that the gel will eventually form. The use condition of low-ester pectin is that the system’s pH is 2.6～6.8, the solid content is higher than 10%, and calcium ions are required (at least 15mg/g pectin). It is mainly used for low-sugar jam, yogurt pulp base, soft candy, Sweets, bakery products, glazing, etc.
(1) Yogurt products
Different kinds of pectin have other functions in the production process of yogurt. For example, adding low methoxy pectin can prevent whey release. In making yogurt, it is necessary to control the dosage of pectin strictly. The charge will be neutralized once sufficient additives are not added, and the repulsion force will disappear. The structure of dairy products can not be stable, so the design of acidic dairy products can only be kept stable after adding a new repulsion force.
(2) Jam
If there is too little pectin in the raw material when making jam, you can take advantage of the thickening effect of pectin and use 0.20% pectin as a thickener. The usage of pectin in low-sugar jam is about 0.60%. The recipe for low-sugar strawberry jam is 50.00% strawberries, 36.00% sugar, 13.00% water, 0.60% amidated low methoxy pectin, and 0.40% citric acid. In the strawberry jam recipe above, amidated low-methoxy-pectin or methoxy-pectin can be used since there is a certain amount of calcium in the fruit and water, so calcium salts are unnecessary.
(3) Bread
Because the dough with pectin is more malleable, the baking volume of the bread increases. For example, in hamburger making, if the size of the hamburger is kept the same, adding pectin reduces the amount of flour used to make the same size hamburger by 30 percent. In addition, bread made with pectin-added dough can prolong the selling time of bread.
(4) Drinks
Low-sugar drinks have become increasingly popular in the market as people pay more attention to a healthy diet. However, the taste of drinks decreases with the decrease in sweetness. In this regard, low methoxyl pectin can be added to enhance the drink’s flavor. Add it to contain fruit drinks, it can be generated and calcium gel reaction, thus reducing due to pulp precipitation hard material, making pulp evenly suspended in the beverage; it also can improve the taste of fruit juice, not only overcoming the difference between pseudoplastic of sodium alginate, shortcomings and so on rubber smell, turbidity, also have good and contact with health care function of lead poisoning.
(5) Application in healthcare
Pectin is a valuable water-soluble dietary fiber. Pectin has the functions of lowering blood fat, lowering cholesterol, anti-radiation, adsorbing heavy metal ions, moistening the intestines, and anti-cancer. Currently, some products use pectin in domestic medicines and health products, such as pectin, a gastric treatment for moisturizing and laxative, to remove heavy metal lead in the body, etc. However, the current demand for pectin is still not very big.

Different from other dietary fibers, the structural properties of pectin make it have good water solubility, high viscosity, can absorb heavy metals and other cations and toxins, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, and can be fermented by the intestinal flora in the large intestine. Chain fatty acids lower the pH of the intestinal tract, kill harmful bacteria, and promote the proliferation of beneficial bacteria. Studies have also shown that pectin can play a role in preventing cancer.
(6) Other applications
In addition, pectin can be used in plastic wraps, diapers, cosmetics, and toothpaste by using its good water retention and radiation resistance.

The dietary fiber of pectin is an essential substance for maintaining human health. It enhances gastrointestinal peristalsis and promotes nutrient absorption, and it has a good effect on preventing and treating hypertension, intestinal cancer, urinary disease, obesity, and other diseases.

What is low methoxy pectin?

Low-ester pectin (LM) refers to pectin with a degree of esterification less than 50%. Generally, it is extracted from a sunflower dish or potato, or high-ester pectin is treated with acid or alkali to perform de-esterification to reduce its degree of methoxylation to obtain low-ester pectin. Low-ester pectin (also called low-fat pectin) is a low-methoxy pectin with high reactivity to calcium ions. The gelation of low-ester pectin can be adjusted by pH, and Different calcium salts are added to control the process. Low-ester pectin can be divided into ordinary low-ester pectin and amidated low-ester pectin.

Classification of low-ester pectin manufacturer

Low-ester pectin can be divided into ordinary low-ester pectin and amidated low-ester pectin.

Stability of low-ester pectin

Low-fat pectin is slightly more stable under higher pH conditions. Under alkaline conditions, pectin can undergo de-esterification even at room temperature. If ammonia is used for de-esterification, part of the methoxy group of the methyl ester is converted to the amino group of the amide. Amidated low-ester pectin has better physical properties than other low-ester pectins and can be widely used as a gelling agent.

Factors Affecting the Strength of LM Pectin Gel

1. Quality of pectin
The molecular weight is high, the bonding area of the “egg box” model is easy to form, and the gel quality is good.
2. DE value and DA value of pectin
As the DE value increases, the gel-forming temperature decreases; the DA value rises, so does the gel-forming temperature; if the DA value is too high, so that the gel-creating temperature is higher than the boiling temperature of the system, the system will immediately start a pre-gel.
3. Pectin content
As the content increases, the gel strength and gel-forming temperature will rise, but too high will cause the formation of a pre-gel, decreasing the gel strength.
4. Calcium ion concentration
For pectin with a specific DE value and DA value, before reaching the optimal gel strength, the calcium ion concentration increases, and the gel strength and gel-forming temperature both rise; after getting the optimal gel strength, the calcium ion concentration continues to grow, and the gel The glue strength begins to become brittle and weaker, and finally forms a pre-gel.
5. Calcium ion chelating agent
The addition or presence of polyphosphates, citrates, etc., that can chelate calcium ions in the system can reduce the effective concentration of calcium ions, thereby reducing the risk of pre-gel formation, especially when the solids content in the system is high.
6. Soluble solid content
Increasing the gel’s content improves the gel’s strength, and the gel-forming temperature rises, but too high results in forming a pre-gel.
7. Types of soluble solids
Different substances affect the binding ability of pectin and calcium ions. Take Type2000 amide pectin as an example. Under fixed conditions such as pH=3.0, solid content=31%, and calcium ion content of 20mg/g pectin, the gel The intensity is respectively using decoction> 42DE glucose syrup> high fructose syrup> sorbitol; different types of solids have different sensitivity to calcium ions that produce pre-gel.
8. System pH
The pH can be in the range of 2.6 to 6.8. As the pH increases, more pectin or calcium ions are required to form a gel of the same quality; an increase in pH can lower the gel-forming temperature.
9. How to use
If the calcium ion solution is added to the pectin solution below the gel-forming temperature, it will cause the system to create a pre-gel immediately. Calcium ion solution should be added in a relatively diluted form. Otherwise, it will cause the partial formation of pre-gel or partial non-gel formation. If a calcium salt that can only dissolve slowly is used, the shape and strength of the gel can be enhanced over time.

The gel formed by low-ester pectin, especially amide pectin, is thermoreversible. If the DE value and solid content are higher, the gel formed will also have better thermal stability. Low-ester pectin has good thixotropy, and the gel can become pumping fluid under shearing force. It is especially suitable for the production of yogurt with pulp. At low solids content (20%), combining CMC or locust bean gum and low-ester pectin can improve the texture of the gel. The variety of xanthan gum and pectin reduces the surface of the gel.

Gel mechanism of LM pectin manufacturer

1. The gel mechanism of ordinary LM pectin
The gel formation mechanism of low-ester pectin completely differs from that of high-ester pectin. Its gel results from the carboxyl group’s joint action between the two pectin molecular chains through the calcium bridge to achieve ionic connection and hydrogen bonding. This gel is affected by the concentration of calcium ions in the system, but it is not apparent to sugars and acids. Gel conditions of low-ester pectin: pH range of 2-6, soluble solid content of 10% to 80%, the formed gel has thermal reversibility.

The gel of low-ester pectin is affected by the degree of pectin esterification, relative molecular weight, calcium content, pH value, other substituents, cooling rate, and other conditions. Among them, calcium is a necessary condition. Experiments have shown that each gram of low-ester pectin requires about 25mg of calcium. Low-ester pectins with different esterification degrees have various calcium activities. The relationship between the gelation degree and the esterification degree of low-ester pectin is opposite to that of high-ester pectin. The gelation temperature of low-ester pectin is inversely proportional to the degree of esterification, and there is little or no difference between the gel temperature and the melting temperature of the jelly of low-ester pectin.

2. The gel mechanism of amidated low-ester pectin
The gel mechanism of amidated low-ester pectin is similar to that of ordinary low-ester pectin. The difference is that amidated pectin requires a much more comprehensive range of calcium ion concentrations for gel formation. Under application conditions, the jelly tissue is not affected by calcium. A slight change in ions affects. And the resulting jelly has a minor tendency to separate water. It is widely used in jams with low sugar content. Compared with high-ester pectin with the same esterification degree but without amidation treatment, amidated high-ester pectin has a lower gelation temperature during use, and its gel has a high degree of thermal reversibility and thixotropy.