What Is Pectin? Is it Natural?

The first time my wife said she was going to make us homemade jam I was thrilled!

Im a real big toast and jam kind of guy… And thinking about jam made from local strawberries…. Yum! I was ready to go pick as many as she needed.

Off to the store to buy the supplies, and she mentions Pectin.

Hold on… that sounds like some food additive we don’t need to be putting in our food! stop the man! NO GMO! War Cry!!!

Thats where my mind went. Easy cowboy. My wife then went on to explain what this “additive” was, and why we need it for our jam.

What is Pectin?

Pectin is a naturally occurring substance (a polysaccharide to be exact) found in fruits, including berries, apples and citrus fruits. Pectin binds cells together, helping to form the fruit’s skin. So, yes, it is completely natural, made of plant skin.

When Pectin is heated with sugar, it causes jams and jellies to thicken to that pleasantly spreadable consistency we all love so much! Yay Jam!

The main raw materials for pectin production are fruit scraps, such as dried citrus peel or apple pomace. These are by-products of juice production. Pomace from sugar beet is also used to a small extent. (Sugar beets can be, and probably are, a GMO product.)

How is Pectin Made? Wikipiedia Explains the process this way. (this is my simplified breakdown, skip it you don’t like chemistry!)
Essentially Pectin is extracted by adding a hot dilute acid. This process, which takes several hours, breaks down the protopectin, into a solution. The solution is filtered, concentrated, and then precipitated (CHEMISTRY definition: to cause (a substance) to be deposited in solid form from a solution.) by adding ethanol or isopropanol. Finally Pectin is separated, washed and dried. After drying and milling, sugar, calcium salts or organic acids may be added for performance in a particular application.

Is Pectin Safe? As always, this is a dicision you need to make when fully informed.

According to Pickyourown.org (and awesome website for all things picked and preserved): “it is completely natural and safe. It is an extract from apples (with a tiny amount of citric acid and dextrose as binders) and doesn’t change the flavor a bit. It just helps thicken, allows you to use less sugar and less cooking! …So unless you have a severe corn or apple allergy, there shouldn’t be anything unsafe nor unnatural about it! “

So yes, pectin is a “natural” product, derived from fruit. As is always the case in our modern world, the product is made by a highly industrialized process, involving products and teqniques some may find unfit to use in their own homemade cooking, wile others may find it completely suitable for use and be happy to add it to their homemade jams!

If your real tin hatty… (don’t worry, your in good company… after this research I’m totally trying this to!) You can make your own!

Essencially all it takes is some green apples, and a little rubbing alcohol. Check out this great video from Chow.com to see how easy it is!

Whether you purchase Pectin at your local big box store, or make your own, the end product is what is most important. A nice slab of toast, with some fresh picked homemade jam on top! (now I’m hungry…)