Esterification Degree of Pectin

In this application, the esterification degree of an apple pectin is determined using two acid-base titrations. The first titration quantifies the free galacturonic acids whereas the second one determines the esterified galacturonic acids. In order to access the esterified acids, they are saponified prior to the second titration.

Background

Pectin is mainly used in food industry. It serves as gelling agent and stabilizer for marmalades, juice drinks and as fat substitute. Moreover, cosmetic and pharma industries use pectin to change the texture of ointments and creams.

Pectin is a structural polysaccharide and contains many galacturonic acids along its chain. In nature, around 80% of the carboxylic acid groups of galacturonic acid are present as methyl esters. The degree of esterification determines the behavior of pectin in food applications.

 The whole process is fully automatized using the InMotion autosampler.

The Application Includes:

• Introduction
• Sample Preparation and Procedures
• Chemistry
• Instruments and Accessories
• Method in Detail
• Results and Remarks

And method files ( .lmt and .xml) for direct import and implementation on the instrument