Dawodu, O. G* and Akinbode, O. M

Pectin, a polysaccharide is one of the possible products produced from fruit wastes and it finds its usefulness in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The objective of this study was to extract and characterize pectin from banana, orange, mango, watermelon, and pineapple waste peels. The peels of the fruits were collected, dried, and ground into fine powder. Pectin was extracted from the dried powdered peels using a cold extraction method and physiochemical properties and structural analysis via FT-IR spectroscopy were determined. Bananas gave the highest yield of pectin while pineapple gave the lowest. The colour derived from pectin extracted ranged from light to dark brown and in appearance was flakish and powdery. The pectins were found to be HMP i.e. high methoxyl pectins based on their acetyl values. Structural analysis from the Fourier transforms (FT-IR) gave almost the same peaks and functional groups. Conclusively, the pectin extracted from these fruit wastes showed promise as good sources for the pharmaceutical and gelling industries.

Keywords: Fourier transforms, fruit wastes, pectin, physicochemical properties

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