A comparative evaluation of various extraction methods for the extraction of pectin from peach pomace

The current study aimed to investigate and contrast novel methods for the extraction of beneficial substances like pectin from peach pomace. Conventional extraction techniques result in significant waste and carbon footprint generation, as well as decreased energy and productivity levels. Therefore, five different novel and innovative procedures were used to extract pectin: ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), ohmic heat extraction (O_HAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), ultrasound-assisted microwave extraction (UAME), and ultrasound-assisted ohmic heat extraction (UAO_HE). The percentage of pectin extracted varied from 7.83% by O_HAE at 45V to 33.64% by UAME at 520W. To determine whether pectin is suitable as a food additive, the maximum amount of pectin from each process was subjected to additional analysis, including color, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), degree of esterification (DE), and galacturonic acid concentration (GalA). DE varied between 63.26% and 76.43% (MAE and UAME). Since all the extracted pectin has a DE of more than 50%, it is methoxy pectin. From 767.89/kg (O_HAE) to 965.55/kg (UAME), GalA was measured. Colors "L" through "b" ranged from 25.41 (UAE) to 69.04 (UA_HOE), and color "a" reached 69.04 (UAME). Images from the SEM clearly showed how different extraction methods work and how they affect pectin yield. All the methods were used to extract pectin, and the findings showed that while MAE is a faster method, UAE is still favored over MAE because of its safe zone ultrasonic sonication. Although MAE increased efficiency, the high power caused damage to the pectin structure. After ultrasonic pre-treatment to extract pectin and subsequent processing at a reduced power level, UAME was deemed the best technology. This method resulted in less natural product breakdown and an increase in pectin amount and quality. Therefore, when compared to other procedures, extraction using the UAME technique produced a higher yield in less time.