4.2. Pectin Extraction and Purification

The fruit peels were removed and washed with distilled water to remove dirt from the surface. Then, they were cut into small pieces, and the fresh weight of the peels was noted. Further, 500 g of peels were ground in the presence of distilled water in a mechanical grinder to prepare a fluidic slurry. The debris was removed from the slurry by filtering it with a nylon cloth. Finally, pectin was precipitated from the filtrate by mixing it with an equal volume of methanol. The precipitate was allowed to dry for 15 days in methanol, and then, the dry weight of pectin was recorded. The yield of pectin obtained from each fruit peel was calculated by using the following equation given by [53]: