Extraction and assessment of pectin from pumpkin peels

Hamed AAR, Mustafa SE. 2018. Extraction and assessment of pectin from pumpkin peels. Biofarmasi J Nat Prod Biochem 16: 1-7. Pectin is characterized as intricate blends of polysaccharides that compose around 33% of the cell-wall dry substance of most kind of plants. This study was done to extricate pectin from completely ripen pumpkin (Cucurbita spp.) using two distinct techniques; soxhlet acid extraction technique and acid extraction technique, and to find out the impact of utilizing distinctive acids on the yield of pectin; nitric and citric acids were utilized. In addition, to analyze the impact of time in pectin yield, the extraction procedure was carried out using 3 different times, namely, 30, 60 and 90 min. The chemical substances of pumpkin peel (dampness, ash, protein, fat, fiber, total sugar and calcium) and the chemical properties of pectin (methoxyl content, acetyl content, identical weight and level of esterification) extracted with both nitric and citric acids were also identified. The outcomes produced by the soxhlet acid extraction technique and acid extraction technique were 7.72% nitric acid and 6.80% citric acid, and 6.24% nitric acid and 5.36% citric acid respectively which demonstrated that the utilization of soxhlet acid extraction technique with nitric acid got the highest yield of pectin. Additionally it was also discovered that the time for pectin extraction was 60 min at very most. The outcome for the chemical substances of pumpkin peel (dampness, fiery remains, protein, fiber, fats, add up to sugar and calcium) were 20.1, 7.1, 3.2, 10.15, 2.3, 57.15 and 0.308% respectively. The examination discovered that the chemical properties of pectin extracted with both nitric and citric acid were for equivalent weight (1250 and1250 g/mol), methoxyl content (6.20 and 6.29%), acetyl contain (0.43 and 0.43%) and the level of esterification (66.53 and 66.57%) respectively. The outcome got from this examination showed that pectin extracted from pumpkin peel is with high quantity and quality and is promising for commercial production.