Pectin from fruit peel: A comprehensive review on various extraction approaches and their potential applications in pharmaceutical and food industries

Abstract

The complex heteropolysaccharide pectin has become a versatile biological polymer with possible applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries. Pectin has a lot of potential applications in cancer treatment as well. Pectin is an underutilized resource that is abundant and renewable. Understanding pectin's physicochemical qualities and functional features necessitates an awareness of its structural characterization, which includes metrics such as degree of esterification, molecular weight, and functional groups. This study thoroughly investigates the process of removing pectin from fruit peels, purifying, and characterizing. The effectiveness of extraction processes, including established and novel approaches, is evaluated closely to determine how they affect pectin production and quality. The detailed discussion includes further purifying procedures to eliminate impurities and improve pectin characteristics. This study addresses the practical applications of pectin as a texturizing agent in the food sector and its possible effectiveness in the pharmaceutical industry as a bioactive molecule and drug delivery carrier. To promote the creation of sustainable and high-value pectin-based products, difficulties related to pectin extraction, purification, and characterization are noted, along with possible directions for further study.