Sustainable production of pectin from lime peel by high hydrostatic pressure treatment

The application of high hydrostatic pressure technology for enzymatic extraction of pectin was evaluated. Cellulase and xylanase under five different combinations (cellulase/xylanase: 50/0, 50/25, 50/50, 25/50, and 0/50 U/g lime peel) at ambient pressure, 100 and 200 MPa were used to extract pectin from dried lime peel. Extraction yield, galacturonic acid (GalA) content, average molecular weight (Mw,ave), intrinsic viscosity [η]w, and degree of esterification (DE) were compared to those parameters obtained for pectins extracted using acid and aqueous processes. Pressure level, type and concentration of enzyme significantly (p < 0.05) influenced yield and DE of pectin. Enzyme and high pressure extraction resulted in yields which were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those using acid and aqueous extraction. Although pressure-induced enzymatic treatment improves pectin yield, it does not have any significant effect on Mw,ave and [η]w of pectin extracts indicating the potential of high pressure treatment for enzymatic pectin production as a novel and sustainable process.