P Kanmani - Department of Biotechnology, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore - ۶۴۱۰۴۹, India
E Dhivya - Department of Biotechnology, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore - ۶۴۱۰۴۹, India
J Aravind - Department of Biotechnology, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore - ۶۴۱۰۴۹, India
K Kumaresan - Department of Biotechnology, Kumaraguru College of Technology, Coimbatore - ۶۴۱۰۴۹, India

Pectin is a structural hetero polysaccharide, commonly obtained from the peels of citrus fruits andfinds prime commercial use as a gelling agent and stabilizer in food industries. In the present study, pectinwas extracted using alcohol precipitation method from the peels of orange (Citrus sinensis), sweet lime(Citrus limetta) and lemon (Citrus limon). When the extraction conditions were varied one-at-a-time, a maximumyield of 36.71% was obtained from C. limon, after which the yield was further enhanced using the Box-BehnkenDesign of Response Surface Methodology. Optimum conditions for the extraction process were establishedto be pH 3.5, temperature 65°C and time 67.5 min. The interaction effects of these variables were studied using3-D and contour plots. A 1.5-fold increase in pectin yield was obtained as a result of this experimental design.Analysis of variance indicated the significance of the model. The pectin obtained was then subjected toqualitative and quantitative analyses and found to contain desirable methoxyl, hyaluronic acid contents anddegree of esterification. Functional groups present in the pectin were investigated using FTIR spectroscopy.The overall results point towards the amenability of the extracted pectin for industrial applications.

Pectin, Citrus limon, Yield, Optimization, Response surface methodology, FTIR