HWN Suggests

This Pulp Isn't Fiction

I've often watched people do battle with the albedo, trying meticulously to remove every last vestige before popping a segment of "naked" orange into their mouth. Probably the same people who choose filtered orange juice over the pulpy variety. Too bad, because both the albedo and the pulp are good sources of pectin, a type of fiber that shows great nutritional promise. Most people associate pectin with jams and jellies, not with cleaning out arteries, controlling blood sugar or preventing cancer. But it just may do all of these! Pectin is a kind of carbohydrate "glue" that helps hold plant cells together. It can be extracted with boiling water from apple cores or from citrus albedo and processed…

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Featured

 Pectin: not just for jelly

The kitchen alchemists unleash the power of a familiar plant-derived edible gel.

Articles of Interest

Forget Probiotics, An Apple A Day Is Better For Your Gut Health

Glorious, crunchy apples. Infinitely cheaper than probiotic supplements, the apple is packed with hundreds of millions of microbes–just like other fruits and vegetables, all of which contribute bacteria to the microbiome. “Apples contain fibre, and particularly a probiotic fibre called pectin, that feeds your ‘good’ gut bacteria,” says Dr Leeming, whose forthcoming book Genius Gut: How to Eat For Your Second Brain, comes out in July. “It also contains plenty of polyphenols, which have a prebiotic effect on the gut microbiome.”

Pectin and gut health: is there evidence to support the claim?

Dr. O’Bryan explains that pectin is fantastic for gut healing. He recommends boiling organic apples until they are soft and blending them to maximize their pectin bioavailability. Pectin is also available in plums, pears, and citrus fruits (Elshahed et al., 2021). It doesn’t surprise me that some of these “p” fruits are recommended to improve constipation issues.

Pectin and the microbiome

We all know the saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, well, I’m going to show you that there’s proof to that statement. Pectin is a wonderful prebiotic, which feeds several of the most beneficial bacteria within your microbiome, including the superstar of the gut, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

Pectin as a biofunctional food: comprehensive overview of its therapeutic effects and antidiabetic-associated mechanisms

Pectin is a complex polysaccharide found in a variety of fruits and vegetables. It has been shown to have potential antidiabetic activity along with other biological activities, including cholesterol-lowering properties, antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory and immune-modulatory effects, augmented healing of diabetic foot ulcers and other health benefits.

Pectin – an impressive all-rounder for your health

Pectin belongs to the polysaccharides (multiple sugars). Nevertheless, it is not conventional sugar. Pectin is a soluble dietary fiber, which means that it reaches the large intestine undigested. In the large intestine, pectin then serves as food for numerous beneficial intestinal bacteria, which is why it is also known as a prebiotic. The beneficial bacteria can metabolize pectin and obtain energy from it. At the same time, short-chain fatty acids are produced, which serve as an energy source for the intestinal mucosa.

Pectin: The Powerful Fiber You Didn’t Know You Needed

When we think about fiber, most of us picture bran cereals or leafy greens—but there’s another type of fiber that often goes unnoticed and deserves the spotlight: pectin. Pectin is a unique soluble fiber found in the cell walls of fruits and vegetables. It’s best known as the magic behind thick jams and jellies, but its benefits go far beyond food texture. From gut health to detox support, pectin plays a surprising and powerful role in your overall well-being.

The Dietary Fiber Pectin: Health Benefits and Potential for the Treatment of Allergies by Modulation of Gut Microbiota

The incidence of allergies is increasing and has been associated with several environmental factors including westernized diets. Changes in environment and nutrition can result in dysbiosis of the skin, gut, and lung microbiota altering the production of microbial metabolites, which may in turn generate epigenetic modifications.

The Science and Health Benefits of Food Pectin

Pectin is a family of complex polysaccharides naturally found in the cell walls of higher plants. It consists primarily of galacturonic acid (GalA) with up to 16 other monosaccharides as co-monomers. Structurally, pectin contains several constituent blocks, including homogalacturonan (HG), rhamnogalacturonan-I (RG-I), rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II), and in some plants, xylogalacturonans (XGA).

The Vegan-Friendliness of Pectin: The Perspective of Plant-Based Dietitians

Pectin is a compound that is naturally present in fruits as a structural component of the cell wall, which helps fruits to keep their shape. More recently, the food industry has been using pectin as a food additive for its gelling properties.

What is pectin and why is it important for your health?

Pectin is a word often heard in connection with jams and marmalades, but its significance extends much further than we might realize. This natural substance, found in the cell walls of plants, especially in fruits, plays an important role not only in the food industry but also in cosmetics, medicine, and health care.

What Makes A Jam A Jam? Surge In Savory Spreads Presents Riddles For Purists

In the early 1900s, it became possible to buy pectin from the grocery store. But those pectins were still loaded with sugar. Many years later, in the 1980s, some companies introduced sugar-free pectins that promoted gelling with chemicals like calcium. Jam-makers could now attain a jam-like consistency — but with considerably less sugar.

Resources

5 Promising Benefits of Apple Pectin

Apple pectin is a soluble fiber that can be found in apple pulp and apple peels. It might sound like the kind of thing you'd need to eat an ungodly number of apples to get, but one research suggests that just 1 gram per day is enough for significant health benefits. The greatest benefit of pectin may come from improved blood sugar and cholesterol levels and reduced risk of heart disease and diabetes. Read on to learn more about five promising benefits of apple pectin!

Center for Research on Ingredient Safety

Pectin is a naturally occurring substance found in the cell walls of fruits and vegetables. Some fruits are naturally richer in pectin than others. For example, apples, carrots, oranges, grapefruits, and lemons have much higher amounts of pectin compared to fruits like cherries, grapes, and other small berries. Citrus fruits contain the most pectin.