Post Harvest Technology

Importance & Scope

 Production
• Fruits- 46.60milliontonne
• Vegetables-96.54milliontonne
• Spices-3080milliontonne
• Coconut-12.1mtonne
• Others-2.4mtonne (in year 2002-2003)
• 1st in mango,banana,lemon & grape production
• IInd largest producer of Fruits & Vegetables
 Need of PHT
• 40% of fresh produce is lost due to lack of
PHT
• Loss is over Rs.35,000 crores every year
• Post Harvest management of fresh
produce is most emerging sector in India
 Need of PHT
• Large increase in the Asian population . population
• Demand for convenient, environmentally conscious &
healthy foods increases & healthy foods (increases in
• Eat out often habit and wivesare career-oriented oriented
• Kids influence 43% of all consumer- new generation
demands newer products
• 1 in 5 meals was eaten in cars
• Socio economic environment change- consumers demand
foods of newers trends
• To satisfy tastes & preferances
• Indegenous availability of plant & machninery
• Nucleated families- affordable by masses
• Migration to big cities
 Definitions
• Food science
• Food Technology
• Post harvest Technology
• Food Processing
• Food Preservation
• Food Engineering
 Post Harvest Technology
• Deals with Food Processing indicating the
existence of a close association between
agriculture & the technology of storage &
preservation of food produce for human
consumption
 Food Science
• Study of Physical, chemical & biochemical
nature of food
• Study of Principles of food processing
• Application of the basic sciences &
Engineering to study above
• Foodmicrobiology+Food
engineering+Food Chemistry
 Food Technology
• It is the use of the information generated
by the Food Science in the selection ,
preservation, processing, packaging &
distribution
• It affects the consumption of
safe,nutritious & wholesome food
 Food Processing
• Application of Techniques to food in a
systematic manner for preventing losses,
food preservation,packaging, storage &
distribution to
• ensure greater availability
• improve food intake
• Management of Water & waste
• GMP & sanitation procedures
 Food preservation
• Processes used to retain & prolong the
shelf life of food & retain the nutritive value
of food for human consumption
 Food Engineering
• Study of Engineering concepts & unit
operations used in food processing like
materials & energy balances,Fluid flow
,thermodynamics,heat & mass transfer
Scope of Food Technology
• Introducing India’s Food Industry
The food industry is the complex, global collective
of diverse businesses that together supply much of
the food energy consumed by the world population.
The food processing industry is one of the largest
Industries in India.
•It is ranked fifth in terms of production,
consumption, export and expected growth.
•Food Processing Industry is widely recognized as
a 'sunrise industry' in India having huge potential
for uplifting agricultural economy, creation of large
scale processed food manufacturing and food chain
facilities, and the resultant generation of
employment and export earnings.
•India has enormous growth potential from its
current status of being the world's second largest
food producer to be the world's number one
producer.
•Food Processing Industry is of enormous significance for
India's development because of the vital linkages and
synergies that it promotes between the two pillars of the
economy, namely Industry and Agriculture.
•Food processing covers a spectrum of products from sub-
sector comprising agriculture, horticulture, Plantation,
animal husbandry and fisheries.
•Essentially, the food industry involves the commercial
movement of food from field to fork.
While India has an abundant supply of food, the food
processing industry is still nascent: only two per cent of
fruit and vegetables; and 15 per cent of milk produced are
processed.
•Despite, of this the processed food industry ranks fifth in
size in the country, representing 6.3 per cent of GDP.
•It accounts for 13 per cent of the country’s exports and 6
per cent of total industrial investment.
•The industry size is estimated at US$ 70 billion, including
US$ 22 billion of value added products. This sector has been
attracting FDI across different categories.
•Food Basket
•One of the world's largest food producers, India
produces 600 million tonnes of food grains every
year.
• The second largest exporter of rice and fifth
largest exporter of wheat in the world, its
agricultural exports account for nearly 14.2
percent of its total export figures.
• India ranks first in the world in production of
cereals and milk. It is the second largest fruit and
vegetable producer and is among the top five
producers of rice, wheat, groundnuts, tea, coffee,
tobacco, spices, sugar, and oilseeds.
• India is the seventh largest producer of fish in
the world and is ranked second in inland fish
production.
•With the overwhelming success of the Green and White
Revolution, India is now fervently poised for the Food
Revolution that will ensure agricultural diversification and
large investments in food processing.
•The entries of multinationals, aggressive rise of commodity
branding and low cost of technology are changing the
economics of the Indian food industry.
•The rise of aggressive regional players making forays into
categories where entry barriers are low and a boom in Indian
Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) markets and the rising
need for these products are the key reasons for this growth in
food business.
In Store…The Indian food market is approximately Rs 2,
50,000 crore ($69.4 billion), of which value-added food
products comprise Rs 80,000 crore ($22.2 billion).
• Despite food production in the country is expected to double
by the year 2020. With food production expected to double by
2020, large investments are already going into food and food
processing technologies, skills and equipment.
•The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
has estimated that the food processing
sector has the potential of attracting Rs
1,50,000 crore (US$ 33 billion) of
investment in 10 years and generate
employment of 9 million persons.
•The Government has formulated and
implemented several Plans and Schemes to
provide financial assistance for setting up
and modernizing of food processing units,
creation of infrastructure, support for
research and development and human
resource development in addition to other
promotional measures to encourage the
growth of the processed food sector.
•A Goldman Sachs report ('Dreaming with
BRICs: The Path to 2050') states that
among Brazil, Russia, India and China, India
will grow the fastest over the next 30 to 50
years by leveraging its demographic
advantages and through continued
development.
• There is an urgent need for the development
of appropriate technology for small farmers.
• Research should be intensified on the
production and processing of food to be
consumed in developing countries.
• There seems to be wide scope for improving
the technology of big-gas production and its
application as well as for the gasification of
wood and dry wastes, such as coconut shells,
rice husks, and peanut shells, to operate
engines for agricultural purposes.
• The FAO has estimated that, by the end of the
century, world population and expected income
growth would combine to increase world food
demand by 60 per cent above the 1980 level.
• In developing countries the demand for food may
more than double in the same period.
• It is required to accelerate agricultural production.
• Food must be made available more widely and
distributed better if the problems of the world's
hungry are to be reduced or totally eliminated.
• The number of seriously malnourished people
was estimated at more than 400 million in the
middle seventies.
• Food processing Industry in India has been
recognized as the major sector of growth in the
next 10 yrs. to come.
• As per data available, today, the IT industry is
worth about 3 trillion, while the automobile
industry is worth ½ trillion. However, the food
sector in India, is pegged at 5 trillion and has an
annual growth-rate of 20-25%.
An investment of Rupees 99700 crores is likely
in the food processing industry, while the Union
ministry of food processing (MoFPI) has come
out with a vision and a policy document, which
aim at growing the market size of this industry to
820,000 crores by 2009/2010 and to further
13,50,000 crores by 2014/2015.
•The Food and Agriculture Integrated Development
Action (FAIDA) report (1997) prepared by McKinsey
has estimated that, driven by changing consumer
preferences, the annual consumption of 'value-added'
foods alone would grow to Rs.225, 000 crores by
2007?larger than the entire manufacturing sector!
• A more recent report has stated an absolute revenue
increase of Rs. 900 billion in food manufacturing
between 1993 and 2000. This is in contrast with Rs.
150 billion and Rs. 300 billion in the pharmaceutical
and IT industries, respectively.
• Overall, the value of the Indian food industry has
increased from Rs. 3.09 trillion in 1993-94 to Rs. 3.99
trillion in 2000-01. The segments with the largest
growth potential have been identified as dairy, wheat,
fruits and vegetables, and poultry. This report has also
identified some of the major challenges for the
emerging food industry in India .
• India has access to a lot of natural resources and has a
growing technical knowledge base.
• Big companies are now entering the food industry and use
international marketing methods. This enables the Indian
products to reach all over the world, in the packaging
required.
• The food sector provides many opportunities in the fields
of research and development, food microbiology, exports,
besides food processing & food engineering.
The production base is being enlarged and modern
methods of agriculture are being adopted to improve
productivity. This will result in greater availability of good
quality raw materials to the food industry thus resulting in
the production of a wider range of products, of higher
quality.
 Strength in India’s Agro
Sector
• Agro-Sector contributes one third
of GDP
• Agro-Business contributes 26% of
GDP
• Agro-Sector offers more than
70% of Employment
opportunities.
 Strength in India’s Agro
Sector
• By far the most richly endowed
Agricultural nation in Asia
• Has more aerable land than China and
almost as much as East & South Asia -
169 million ha of aerable land
• 12 month sunshine, variable soil texture
and good Irrigation system
• 6 Agro climatic zones covering tropical ,
Sub-temperate and temperate climates
 Strength in India’s Agro
Sector
• Qualified manpower
• Widespread R&D Extension network
• - 28 Agricpulture Universities
• - ICAR, IARI, IIHR, CFTRI
• Fruits & Vegetables production 116 million
MTs : 48 million MTs of Fruits and 68
million MTs of Vegetables
• 3rd largest producer of food grain.
Production 191 million MTs : 81 million
MTs of Rice and 65 million tonnes of
 Advantage India
• Product World Position Production
World India
(In Mill. M.T) %
• Tea I 2.99 0.75 27.0
• Milk I 568.48 73.10 12.5
• Cattle Population* I 1350.00 218.80 14.8
• Cashew II 1.27 000.45 20.8
• Sugar Cane II 1278.00 315.10 12.2
• Fruits II 475.14 049.19 11.6
• Vegetables II 670.59 061.69 12.0
• Rice (Paddy) II 598.85 134.15 21.3
• Wheat II 576.31 74.25 10.7
• Emerging Products:
– Cut Flowers
– Eggs & its Products
– Alcoholic Beverages Source : Fao 2K, NHB
– Frozen / Freezed Dried Vegetable & fruits *(In [Link].)
 India India rising high on food demand curve

Evolution of global food demand

Diet /
functional / Nortth America,
organic foods Japan, Western
Europe, Australia
Convenience
C
foods Eastern
Europe
India
Snacks /
preparedrising high on food demand curve
meals India, China,
Dairy, meat, Latin America
fresh fruits
fruit juices,
beverages
Carbohydrate Africa
staples (SubSaharan)
-

Surviving Mass Convenience Quality High

Technology
Market Food Service Hygiene
Source: Rabobank International Snacking
 Area and production of Agricultural products
India India’s Rank in World
Production
Arable Land (Million ha) 151 2
Irrigated Land (Million ha) 55 1
Wheat 72 2
Rice, Paddy 124 2
Coarse grains (including maize) 29 3
Milk 91 1
Fruits 47 2
Vegetables 82 2
Edible Oilseeds 25 3
Pulses 15 1
Sugarcane 245 2
Tea 0.85 1
Cattle (million) 186 2
 Food processing still at a nascent stage
Level of processing Level of Processing(Perishable products)
Organized Unorganized Total
(Fruits & Vegetables)
Fruits / Vegetables 1.3% 0.8% 2.2%

 USA - 80 %
 Milk /milk products 13% 22% 35%

 France - 70 %
 Buffalo Meat 21% - 21%

 Malaysia- 80 %
 Poultry 6% - 6%

 Thailand- 30 %
 Marine Products 8% 15% 21%

 India - 1.3 %
 Production of Major
Fruits in India
Item Production Share of India India’s
(in ‘000MT) Percentage) Position
India World
Total Fruits 43,000 4,13,932 9.8 2
out of which

Mangoes 12,000 23,455 51.1 1

Bananas 10,200 58,618 17.4 1
Pineapples 1,100 12,100 9.0 3
Guava 620 7,786 3.0 4
Oranges 2,000 66,212 4.0
Apples 1,200 53,672 2.4 9
Grapes 700 57,397 1.2 15
Source : FAO, NHB 2K
 Production of Major Vegetables
in India
Item Production
(in ‘000MT)
India World Share of India India’s
in % Position
Potato 17,942 2,94,834 6.08 5
• Onion 4,058 35,644 11.38 2
• Tomato 4,800 84,873 5.65 5
• Cauliflower 4,800 12,725 37.72 1
• Cabbages 3,300 46,656 7.07 3
• Green Peas 270 5,214 5.17 2
• All Vegs. 64,672 5,65,523 11.43 2
• Source FAO Production Year Book
 INDIA’S AGRO EXPORT
BASKET 2000-01
Tobacoo
Coffee 3%
Tea 4%
7% Spices
APEDA 6%
36%

Cashew
7%
Rw Cotton
1% Marine O il meal
25% 11%

Source: DGCIS TOTAL VALUE : USD 5.8 Billion

 Export Performance of APEDA
(Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority)

Products (2000-01)
Fruits & Vegs
9%
Cereals
45% [Link] &
vegs
14%

Flori Live Stock

2% Pdts
13%
Oth. Proc
foods
20%

Source : DGCIS Total Value : USD 2.1 Billion

 India’s Major Trading Partners
Value % share
(US$ million)
Asia 1362.53 66.5
West Europe 300.87 14.7
NC America 181.42 8.88
Africa 158.56 7.77
Eastern Europe 27.02 1.32
Oceania 12.18 0.6
South America 4.4 0.2
Others 0.61 Negligible
 Agri. Exports to New Zealand
Year Total Value (US$ Million)
1998-1999 1.113
1999-2000 1.119
2000-2001 1.539
Major Items
• Rice
• Walnut
• Dried and preserved vegetables
• Cereal preparations
 Opportunities for Collaboration

• Dairy sector

• Processed fruits and vegetables

• Meat sector
 Opportunities for Collaboration
• Technology transfer in Cold-Chain for
Agro-sector
- Cargo handling facilities at Airports.
- Value added centers, 62 places identified in
various states.
- Need for cost reduction through sourcing
from India.
- Adapting technology to Indian conditions.
 Opportunities for Collaboration
• Introduction of Quality systems
- HACCP, ISO 9000, ISO 14000
• Assistance in organic farming
• Marketing Institutions (ENZA) for
marketing Indian Horticultural Products
• Collaboration in Research
–MoU Signed between ICAR &
Horticulture and Research Institute
Limited, Palmerston, North New
Zealand, for Scientific and Technical Co-
operation
Opportunities for Collaboration
under Codex
Recent issues under Codex
• Protectionist Approach
- Traceability
- Precautionary Principle
- Zero Tolerance
- Selective Approach
• Sidelining of Scientific Justification
• Regionalisation through Agreements
contd/-
 Opportunities for Collaboration
under Codex
• Areas of common interest
- Guidelines for HACCP implementation
for Small and Less Developed
Businesses
- Guidelines for Implementation of Quality
Assurance Systems in Food Industry
- Guidelines for Food Import Control
Systems
- Guidelines for Judgement of
Equivalence of Sanitary Measures
 Opportunities for Collaboration
under Codex
• Areas of common interest
- Traceability
- Precautionary Principle
- Meat Hygiene
- Working principle of risk analysis
- Principle of microbiological risk
management
 Main Areas
• Space foods
• Fish & Meat products---Prawn & Fish pickle, Fish &
Prawn papad, Fish jhuri Bhajia ,Fish noodles , Fish
puff
• Packaged Foods
• Improvement in Milk Quality & Yield by Establishing
Modern Dairy Farming-
a) To increase milk yield/productivity through
introduction of mechanised milking parlour system,
improved feeding system and avoiding spoilage due to
curdling and savings by reducing spillage in collection
system,
b) To improve milk quality through introduction of
automatic milk collection unit and bulk coolers and
adoption of better farm management practices.
• Use of Fully automatic
MachineTechnology -Benefits:
Unit Production ,cost would come down,
It will generate employment among the
persons/farmers & unemployed youth
,utilization of the local resources
• Food technology as a means of alleviating
hunger and poverty.
• Innovations in Food Fermentations &
Safety.
• newer or novel process development in
preservation and storage techniques,
rheology, colloids and dispersal systems,
packaging-polymers and composites,
sensors for detection and process
control, bioprocess engineering

Use of Fully automatic MachineTechnology -Benefits:

Unit Production ,cost would come down, It will generate employment among the
persons/farmers & unemployed youth ,utilization of the local resources
Food technology as a means of alleviating hunger and poverty.
Innovations in Food Fermentations & Safety.
Despite differences between individuals in their judgment of
fitness of food, they would agree on certain criteria for
assurance of fitness:
1. The desired stage of development or maturity and physical
condition
Fruits should be at a cer-tain but differing stage of ripeness;
sweet corn should be young enough to be tender and milky;
poultry preferably is from birds that are fairly young.
2. Freedom from pollution at any stage in production or handling.
• Vegeta-bles should not be consumed raw if they had been
fertilized with sewage;
• oys-ters from waters contaminated with sewage should be
rejected;
• food handled by dirty or diseased workers should be
avoided;
• food contaminated by flies or rodents should be suspect.
3. Freedom from objectionable change resulting from microbial
attack or action of enzymes of the food.
Sometimes it is difficult to draw a line between spoilage by
microorganisms and harmless growth, or the same type of
change may be considered undesirable in one food and
desirable in another.
Thus the homemaker says that sour milk has spoiled, but the
cultured buttermilk made by a lactic acid fermentation is good.
Putrefaction in meat means definite spoil-age, but putrefactive
changes in Limburger cheese are normal to the ripening
process.
Some changes termed spoilage may be only changes in
appearance or physical characteristics, as in wilted lettuce or
flabby carrots, although the prod-uct probably has undergone
no microbial spoilage and there has been little loss in nutritive
value.
Yet each one of us has his or her own idea about whether a food
is spoiled and usually can come to a decision about its
edibility without much difficulty.
 Causes of food Spoilage
• Growth & activity of microorganisms
• Food enzymes & chemical reaction
• Insects, parasites, rodents
• Inappropriate Temperature
• Moisture
• Reaction with Oxygen
• Light
• Physical stress or abuse
• Time
 Principles of Food Processing

A. Prevention & delay of microbial

decomposition
a. By keeping out microorganism-
Asepsis---Packaging, Canning, using
sanitary methods,cutting
b. By removal of MO-
Filtration,centrifugation,washing,
Trimming of spoiled parts
c. By hindering the growth & activity of MO- Low
temp.,Drying, anaerobic conditions,chemicals
-Low temp. slows down the rate of chemical
reactions,growth is inhibited
-Drying stops the growth, reduces rate of enzyme
activity & chemical reactions
- Chemicals inhibits the growthof MO
- Drying removes the moisture
- Anaerobic cond.-no oxygen -no growth
D By killing the MO- Heat or radiation
Heat denature the proteins & inactivate MO &
enzymes
B- Prevention & delay of Self decomposition of
Food
• By destruction & inactivation of food enzymes-
blanching
• By prevention or delay of purely chemical
reactions –prevention of oxidation by
antioxidants
C Prevention of damage because of
animals, insects,mechanical causes or
physical changes by freezing,
burning, drying, pressure
 Classification of Foods by Ease of
Spoilage
On the basis of ease of spoilage, foods can be placed in
three groups:
1. Stable or nonperishable foods. These foods, which do
not spoil unless han-dled carelessly, include such
products as sugar,flour, and dry beans.
2. Semiperishable foods. If these foods are properly
handled and stored, they will remain unspoiled for a fairly
long period, e.g., potatoes, some varieties of apples,
waxed rutabagas, andnutmeats.
3. Perishable foods. This group includes most important
daily foods that spoil readily unless special preservative
methods are used. Meats, fish, poultry, most fruits and
vegetables, eggs, and milk belong in this classification.
Most foods fall into one of these three groups, but some
are near enough to the borderline to be difficult to place.
 Chemical Changes Caused by
Microorganisms
Because of the great variety of organic compounds in foods and
the numerous kinds of microorganisms that can decompose
them, many different chemical changes are possible and many
kinds of products can result.
Changes in Nitrogenous Organic Compounds
Most of the nitrogen in foods is in the form of proteins which must
be hydro-lyzed by enzymes of the microorganisms or of the
food to polypeptides, sim-pler peptides, or amino acids before
they can serve as nitrogenous food for most organisms.
Proteinases catalyze the hydrolysis of proteins to peptides,
which may give a bitter taste to foods.
Peptidases catalyze the hydrolysis of polypeptides to simpler
peptides and finally to amino acids. The latter give fla-vors,
desirable or undesirable, to some foods; e.g., amino acids
contribute to the flavor of ripened cheeses. For the most part
these hydrolyses do not result in particularly objectiona-ble
products.
Anaerobic decomposition of proteins,peptides, or amino acids,
however, may result in the production of obnoxious odors and is
then called putrefaction. It results in foul-smelling, sulfur-
containing products, such as hy-drogen, methyl, and ethyl
sulfides and mercaptans, plus ammonia, amines (e.g.,
histamine, tyramine, piperidine, putrescine, and cadaverine),
indole, skatole, and fatty acids.
Escher-ichia coli, for example, produces glyoxylic acid, acetic
acid, and ammonia from glycine;
Pseudomonas also produces methylamine and carbon dioxide;
and clos-tridia give acetic acid, ammonia, and methane.
From alanine these three or-ganisms produce
(1) an alpha-keto acid, ammonia, and carbon dioxide,
(2) acetic acid, ammonia, and carbon dioxide, and
(3) propionic acid, acetic acid, am-monia, and carbon dioxide,
respectively. From serine, E. coli produces pyruvic acid and
ammonia, and species of Clostridium give propionic acid, for-
mic acid, and ammonia.
As stated previously, the sulfur in sulfur-bearing amino
acids may be reduced to foul-smelling sulfides or
mercaptans.
Desulfotomaculum nigrificans (formerly C. nigrrficans),
an obligate anaerobe, can reduce sulfate to sulfide
and produces hydrogen sulfide from cystine.
Other nitrogenous compounds decomposed include
(1) amides, imides, and urea, from which ammonia is
the principal product,
(2) guanidine and creatine, which yield urea and
ammonia, and
(3) amines, purines, and pyrimidines, which may yield
ammonia, carbon dioxide, and organic acids (chiefly
lactic or acetic).
 Changes In Nonnitrogenous Organic Compounds
The main nonnitrogenous foods for microorganisms,
mostly used to obtain energy but possibly serving as
sources of carbon, include carbohydrates, organic
acids, aldehydes and ketones, alcohols, glycosides,
cyclic compounds, and lipids.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates, if available, usually are preferred by
micro-organisms to other energy-yielding foods.
Complex di-, tri, or polysaccharides usually are
hydrolyzed to simple sugars before utilization.
A monosaccharide, such as glucose, aerobically would
be oxidized to carbon dioxide and water and
anaerobically would undergo decomposition
involving any of six main types of fermentation:
(1) an alcoholic fermentation, as by yeasts, with ethanol
and carbon dioxide as the principal products,
(2) a simple lactic fermentation, as by homofermentative
lactic acid bacteria, with lactic acid as the main product,
(3) a mixed lactic fermentation, as by heterofermentative
lactic acid bacteria, with lactic and acetic acids, ethanol,
glycerol, and carbon dioxide as the chief prod-ucts,
(4) the coliform type of fermentation, as by coliform
bacteria, with lactic, acetic, and formic acids, ethanol,
carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and perhaps acetoin and
butanediol as likely products,
(5) the propionic fermentation, by propioni-bacteria,
producing propionic, acetic, and succinic acids and
carbon dioxide, or
(6) the butync-butyl-isopropyl fermentations, by anaerobic
bacteria, yield-ing butyric and acetic acids, carbon
dioxide, hydrogen, and in some instances acetone,
butylene glycol, butanol, and 2- propanol.
A variety of other products are possible from sugars when
different microorganisms are active, including higher
fatty acids, other organic acids, aldehydes, and ketones
Organic Acids
• Many of the organic acids usually occurring in foods as salts
are oxidized by organisms to carbonates, causing the medium
to become more alkaline. Aerobically the organic acids may be
oxidized completely to carbon dioxide and water, as is done by
film yeasts.
• Acids may be oxidized to other, simpler acids or to other
products similar to those from sugars.
• Saturated fatty acids or lower ketonic derivatives are degraded
to acetic acid, two carbons at a time, aided by coenzyme A.
• Unsaturated or hydroxy fatty acids may be de-graded partially
in a similar manner but must be converted to a saturated acid
(or ketonic derivative) for complete beta oxidation.
Other Compounds
• Alcohols usually are oxidized to the corresponding organic
acid, e.g., ethanol to acetic acid.
• Glycerol may be dissimilated to products similar to those from
glucose.
• Acetaldehyde may be oxidized to acetic acid or reduced to
ethanol. Cyclic compounds are not readily attacked.
Lipids
• Fats are hydrolyzed by microbial lipase to glycerol and fatty acids
• Microorganisms may be in-volved in the oxidation of fats, but autooxidation
is more common.
• Phospholipids may be degraded to their constituent phosphate, glyc-erol,
fatty acids, and nitrogenous base, e.g., choline.
.
Pectic Substances
• Protopectin, the water-insoluble parent pectic substance in plants, is
converted to pectin, a water-soluble polymer of galacturonic acid which
contains methyl ester linkages and varying degrees of neutralization by
various cations. It gels with sugar and acid.
• Pectinesterase causes hydrolysis of the methyl ester linkage of pectin to
yield pectic acid and methanol.
• Poly-galacturonases destroy the linkage between galacturonic acid units of
pectin or pectic acid to yield smaller chains and ultimately free D-
galacturonic acid, which may be degraded to simple sugars.