Pectin is a soluble fiber in many fruits and vegetables, primarily in the skin and pulp. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and forms a gel during the digestive process. According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, pectin helps lower your blood cholesterol levels. It also can treat diarrhea and serve as a thickening agent in many processed foods. Although some nutrition experts suggest that pectin can prevent colon cancer and diminish the effects of radiation treatment, the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center says there is no evidence for this as of 2010.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables provide a natural source of pectin. The amount of pectin in an individual piece of fruit or vegetable varies according to its ripeness and growing conditions. According to Dietary Fiber Food, the highest sources of pectin are in citrus fruit, such as grapefruit, lemons and oranges. Pectin comprises about 60 to 70 percent of the fiber in citrus fruit. Apricots and apples also are high in pectin. In the "Handbook of Dietary Fiber," Susan Sungsoo Cho writes that beans, beets, sweet potatoes and carrots have high pectin contents.
Yogurt
The texture of certain dairy products, such as yogurt, results partially from fermentation, but manufacturers sometimes add pectin to yogurt as a thickening agent. The pectin also provides a fiber boost. Some varieties of yogurt also contain probiotics -- live microorganisms. Probiotics help prevent constipation and boost your immunity. The combination of pectin and probiotics helps to improve your overall digestive health.
Jams and Jellies
Pectin is an integral gelling agent for both homemade and processed jams and jellies. Jams and jellies were originally created to preserve fruits to be eaten in the winter months. In the "Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing," Yiu H. Hui writes that adding pectin to those foods allowed for gel formation and improved consistency, especially for jelly, which uses fruit juice instead of actual fruit. In commercial preparations, pectin continued, improved and eventually replaced the home production of jams and jellies, according to Hui.
References
- Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Pectin
- Dietary Fiber Food: Pectin
- "Handbook of Dietary Fiber"; Susan Sungsoo Cho, Ph.D.; 2001
- "Handbook of Fruits and Fruit Processing"; Yiu H. Hui, Ph.D.; January 2006
