Isolation and characterization of mango peel pectins

An efficient method for manufacture of pectin from Totapuri mango peels was standardized by studying various factors that govern the recovery and quality of pectin. Among the different organic and inorganic acids, 0.05 N HCl was found to be the best for recovery of pectin from mango peels. Optimum yield of pectin was obtained by taking two extractions each for one-hour duration employing a peel: extractant ratio of 1:2 and by alcohol precipitation method. Dried mango peels could be stored for sin months at ambient conditions (14.5-33.9C) without any significant effect on the recovery of pectin. Pectin extract, an intermediate product in the manufacture of pectin, could be stored for one month either at low temperature (6C+/-2) or at ambient conditions (24.5-33.0C) by the addition of 700ppm SO2 with minimum loss in the recovery of pectin. Using the optimum extracting conditions about 20.8% (DWB) of purified pectin was obtained from mango peels. The powdered pectin could be stored for over 6 months without any deterioration in quality when packed in airtight containers at ambient conditions.