Abstract

A gravity flow dynamic method was applied for pectin extraction from sunflower head (SFH) residues, byproducts of sunflower oil process. Sodium chloride was used as an ion exchange reagent to decoupling the divalent metal ions that bridge the polyanionic pectin with other components in sunflower cell wall tissues. In comparison with sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) that is popularly used for sunflower pectin extraction, sodium chloride can be obtained from domestic resources at low cost, is easily dissolved in water at higher concentrations without causing undesired viscosity increases that, in turn, makes this new extraction procedure simpler, more efficient, and cost-effective. This study also demonstrated that the dynamic method was more efficient than the standard static method with respect to pectin yield, processing time, and energy-consumption. Molecular characterization showed that SFH pectin obtained by the new method had higher galacturonic acid content and higher molecular weight.

Keywords: Sunflower; Pectin; Ion exchange; Extraction; Rheology