Study on the Microwave-assisted Extraction of Pectin from Chicory Root Pulp

Abstract:

Extraction is a critical unit operation during the production of chicory pectin. The effects of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and the conventional heating extraction (CHE) on the extraction yield, structural characteristics, and molecular weight of chicory pectin were compared used chicory root pulp as raw material in this study. The results showed that the two extraction methods had no significant influence on the structure indexes of galacturonic acid, degrees of methylation and acetylation of extracted chicory pectin. For the CHE, pectin extraction yield was promoted by prolonging the extraction time, while the structure of pectin chains was partially degraded. In the case of MAE, extraction yield and weight-average molar mass (Mw) were proportional to the microwave time. When the microwave time was 120 s, both extraction yield (12.7%) and Mw (321 ku) of the extracted pectin reached the maximum, and no obvious degradation of pectin structure was observed. Compared with CHE, MAE had the advantages of high extraction efficiency and low degradation of pectin structure, which could be a suitable extraction method for extracting chicory pectin.