What Is Fruit Pectin Sugar?

Pectin is used for making jam.

Pectin is a natural sugar found in fruit that is invaluable in the production of some foods, particularly jams and jellies. Grocery stores sell it for home cooking.

Science

Pectin is a carbohydrate found naturally in fruit, and used in plant cell walls to help to bind the cells together. It forms a solution with water when hot, and cools to a gel.

Production

Pectin is found in the skins and cores of ripe fruit. As the Columbia Encyclopedia website notes, it is particularly abundant in apples, peaches, plums, currants and citrus fruits. Commercially, it is made from the by-products of juice production, such as citrus fruit peel and apple pulp.

Uses

Pectin's main use is as a gelling agent, particularly in jellies and jams. Grocery sores sell it in liquid and powdered form, for adding to fruit to make jams. However, some fruits contain enough natural pectin to thicken in the jam making process without the need for any additional pectin.

It is also used as a source of soluble dietary fiber, because of its ability to travel through the gut intact.

References

• The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition - Pectin
• University of Minnesota, Extension - Making Jams, Marmalades, Preserves, and Conserves
• BBC Food - Pectin