Pomegranate peel pectin films as affected by montmorillonite

Oliveira T. I. S., Redondo L. Z., Moates G. K., Wellner N., Cross K., Waldron K. W., Azeredo H. M. C.. (2016)

Food Chemistry, 198, 107-112

The industrial production of pomegranate juice has been favored by its alleged health benefits derived from its antioxidant properties. The processing of pomegranate juice involves squeezing juice from the fruit with the seeds and the peels together, leaving a pomace consisting of approximately 73 wt% peels. In this study, pectin was extracted from pomegranate peels, and used to make films with different contents of montmorillonite (MMT) as a nanoreinforcement. The citric acid extraction of pomegranate peels resulted in a pectin with degree of methyl esterification of 58.5% and 64.4% galacturonic acid. The nanoreinforcement improved the tensile strength and modulus of films when added at up to 6 wt%, while the elongation was decreased with increasing MMT concentrations. The water vapor permeability decreased with increasing MMT contents up to 8 wt% MMT. A slight improvement of water resistance was also reported from MMT addition.

Food Chemistry, 198, 107-112

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