They also seem to play a role in controlling plant fluid movement through rapidly growing parts. These structural polysaccharides have also other important functions in the interactions between plants and pathogens the amount and nature of pectin are critical for texture in fruits and vegetables during their growth, maturation, storage and processing. Pectins contribute to the firmness and structure of plant tissue, being involved in the intercellular adhesion and mechanical resistance of the cell wall, and they also have an important role in the development of plant cells, providing turgidity and resistance to low temperatures and drought. They are commonly produced during the initial stages of primary cell wall growth and make up about one third of the cell wall dry substances of dicotyledonous and some monocotyledonous plants. In general, pectins are located in the primary cell wall and middle lamella of many plants, being in the latter, the one with highest concentration, with a gradual decrease from the primary cell wall towards the plasma membrane. This polysaccharide is often associated with other cell wall components such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Pectins are plant cell wall structural polysaccharides composed mainly of galacturonic acid units with variations in composition, structure and molecular weight. Thus, this review lists many emergent pectin-based composite materials which will probably palliate the impact of obesity, diabetes and heart disease, aid to forestall actual epidemics, expand the ken of food additives and food products design. Considered a prebiotic dietary fiber, pectins meetmany regulations easily, regarding health applications within the pharmaceutical industry as a raw material and as an agent for the prevention of cancer.

The chemical and structural features of this polysaccharide enables its interaction with a wide range of molecules, a property that scientists profit from to form new composite matrices for target/controlled delivery of therapeutic molecules, genes or cells. Physicochemical features as pH, temperature, ions concentration, and cosolute presence, affect directly the extraction yield and gelling capacity of pectins. Pectins are plant cell wall natural heteropolysaccharides composed mainly of О±-1-4 d-galacturonic acid units, which may or may not be methyl esterified, possesses neutral sugars branching that harbor functional moieties.

Pectin vs gelatin