Ingredients & Additives - Food Additives (1)

GENU Pectin: A Versatile, Consumer-Friendly Hydrocolloid for the Long Term

January 2018

Ingredients & Additives - Food Additives (1)

GENU Pectin: A Versatile, Consumer-Friendly Hydrocolloid for the Long Term

January 2018

For many years, pectin has been widely used as a stabilizing, texturizing and gelling agent in a variety of foods - often used as a staple in "Grandma's pantry" for preserving fruit jams and jellies at home - while growing increasingly popular in formulating various beverages, such as acidified protein drinks and fruit flavored drinks. Moreover, pectin has enjoyed widespread consumer acceptance globally as a nature-based hydrocolloid ingredient, as it is extracted from fruits such as lemons, limes and oranges, and also the vegetable sugar beet. Over the past few years, the pectin industry has faced critical challenges related to raw material supply shortages and production capacity limitations, driven by a poor harvest of lemon and lime in Latin America (2014/15 season) and higher than normal growth rates across key emerging markets globally. Upon the development of an innovative and patented peel extraction technology using abundant orange peel, CP Kelco has constructed a state-of-the-art peel processing plant in Brazil, leveraging the new technology to secure sustainable peel and, consequently, pectin supplies for the future.