- What Is
- What is fruit pectin?
- Nutritional Value
- What is the nutritional value of fruit pectin?
- Benefits
- What are the benefits of fruit pectin?
- How to Use
- How to use fruit pectin?
- How to Make
- How to make fruit pectin concentrate?
- Safety
- Is fruit pectin safe?
- Comments
- **COMMENTSTAGLIST**
- More
- **OTHERTAGLIST**
What is fruit pectin?
This article is for you if you love eating fruits or enjoy making jellies and jams. Read on to learn everything you need to know about fruit pectin and discover its uses, benefits, and more.
Pectin is a dietary, soluble fiber found in fruits and vegetables. It’s a type of inedible starch (carbohydrate) called a polysaccharide. Polysaccharides are a long chain of indigestible sugars linked together.
Most plants contain pectin. Some of the most abundant sources of fruit pectin include the pulp and peels (or skins) of apples, plums, apricots, and citrus fruits like lemons and oranges. Pectin takes on a gel-like consistency when you dissolve it in water.
Your body cannot digest fruit pectin in its natural form. However, for commercial purposes, scientists have developed a substance called modified citrus pectin, which can be digested and has many uses in food preparations and as health supplements.
What is the nutritional value of fruit pectin?
All forms of pectin have low nutritional value, as they contain very few calories and nutrients.
This can be illustrated as follows — 1 fluid ounce or 28.4 grams of liquid pectin contains only 3 kilocalories, 1 gram of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and almost no proteins or fats. It also doesn’t have any vitamins or minerals. However, it remains a great source of soluble fiber in your diet.
Commercially available pectin mixes may contain added sugars, which can increase the caloric value.
What are the benefits of fruit pectin?
Here are some of the potential health benefits of eating fruit pectin:
Improves gastrointestinal health
Pectin helps in digestion because it’s a soluble fiber with gelling properties. Soluble fibers soften stools by turning into a gel when mixed with water in the digestive tract.
They’re also a source of nutrition for the good bacteria in your gut (prebiotics).
Thus, eating fruit pectin can relieve constipation and improve gut bacterial health, resulting in better digestion and decreased inflammation.
Soluble fiber also lines the gut internally and prevents harmful bacteria from entering, minimizing the risk of infection.
Lowers the risk of colon cancer
Lab studies have proven that pectin can kill colon and gastrointestinal cancer cells.
The fiber in pectin decreases inflammation and protects against cellular damage in the gut, which are both risk factors for colon cancer.
It also protects against colon cancer by absorbing galectin-3, which has been associated with an increased risk of colon cancer at high levels.
Helps in maintaining a healthy body weight
Pectin is a great source of dietary fiber. High-fiber foods have fewer calories, make you feel full for longer, and prevent overeating, thus lowering the risk of obesity.
In animal studies, pectin supplements caused decreased calorie intake, increased satiety, fat burn, and weight loss.
Additional research in humans is warranted to confirm these findings.
Decreases blood sugar and cholesterol levels
Pectin can protect against type 2 diabetes. In animal studies, it regulated sugar levels and improved insulin function.
Pectin can also minimize the risk of heart disease by decreasing bad cholesterol (LDL) levels.
How to use fruit pectin?
Fruit pectin essentially acts as a thickening agent and can be used in food preparation. It also behaves as a stabilizer in milk- and yogurt-based drinks.
Fruit pectin is mainly used as a gelling agent for preserving fruits and preparing sweet dishes like jams and jellies. It can also be used for making milk- or fruit-based desserts like custards, puddings, and pie fillings.
It’s available in powder (white or light brown) and liquid (colorless) forms for home kitchen use. When combined with water, sugars, and acids in the cooking ingredients, pectin forms a gel. It has similar applications to gelatin for kitchen use.
But there are some differences. Gelatin is derived from animal sources and doesn’t require sugar and acid to form a gel. So, it can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. Gelatin contains only protein and no carbs, unlike pectin, which mainly contains carbs. Unlike gelatin, which requires cooling or freezing to form a gel, pectin can become a gel at room temperature.
Additionally, pectin is available in capsule form as a soluble fiber supplement. Soluble fiber has many health benefits like constipation relief and improved body weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. Thisfiber is also useful for preparing the time-release external coating of certain medications.
How to make fruit pectin concentrate?
To prepare fruit pectin for home cooking use, you can follow these steps:
- In a pot, mix 4 cups of fruit scraps (apple is the best choice) in 8 cups of water and bring it to a boil. Then, let it simmer for 1 to 2 hours until the scraps become mushy. Keep stirring, and add a little water if the mixture comes close to burning.
- Allow it to cool, and then strain the mixture using a colander or a cheesecloth-lined sieve. Let it strain for several hours or overnight if necessary. The sticky liquid that is left behind after straining is the pectin concentrate.
- After cooling, this liquid must have a syrupy gel-like consistency if prepared correctly. If the liquid is too runny, you can reheat it on a low flame until it sufficiently thickens.
- Once your pectin is ready, store it in sterilized jars that can be properly sealed to prevent mold. If you plan to use it regularly, you can refrigerate unsealed jars for up to 3 weeks. For extended storage, you’ll need to freeze it in ice trays (lasts up to 6 months) or treat the sealed jars in hot water (lasts up to 1 year).
- For preserving fruits or making fruit jam, you can use around a quarter cup of liquid pectin per fruit. This may vary across fruits because pectin uses the sugars and acids in the fruit to form a gel. Therefore, some fruits may require more or less pectin for preservation, depending on their sugar and acid content.
Is fruit pectin safe?
Fruit pectin has been associated with potential side effects like gas, bloating, or abdominal discomfort. It could also affect digestion in some cases.
Be careful about taking supplements and using commercially available pectin mixes, especially if you’re allergic to certain high-pectin fruits like apples and oranges. Pectin can interfere with certain medications. So, don’t take pectin supplements if you’re using cholesterol-lowering medications or carotenoid (vitamin C) and alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) supplements.
Increasing the soluble fiber content of your diet has many health benefits. But don’t overeat preserved fruits or pectin-based preparations like jams and jellies as they contain a lot of sugar and could negatively affect your weight and sugar levels.
Consult your health care provider immediately if you experience any gastrointestinal or other symptoms after using any fruit pectin mixes or health supplements.
Medically Reviewed on 1/9/2023
References
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