Chewy candies are irresistible, not only for the young, but for the adults too. They are so appealing because of their texture and of the way the flavour is released while you chew them. Professional confectioners, are masters of the art of creating texture and surprising consumers with refreshing, mouth-watering flavours.

It Is a fine art of balancing the action of sugar, flavour and the ingredients that control the firmness a certain product. The type, amount of pectin and its combination with gums and fat and air control the “bite” (e.g.: snappy, soft, or brittle). And fat and air soften the texture in a way that soluble solids alone cannot.

Pectin gives a great appearance to the jellies, at the same time assuring a clean bite, a shiny texture and a performing flavour release. It can be used together with gelatine to improve heat stability, or replace it completely for the peace of mind of those who wish to avoid animal origin ingredients. In aerated products like marshmallows, or zephirs,  Pectin acts as a gelling agent and provides the required texture, and a good mouth feel.

Pectin is a great natural thickener and texturizing agent for yogurts and ensures high-protein drinks are stable. In each type, stirred or set, with or without fruit, whether with fruit on the bottom, squeezable or drinkable, Pectin can play a role in improving the product.

When the level of fat is reduced, the yogurt can have a runny, thin consistency. Pectin brings back thickness and a better mouthfeel, in absence of fat. It also gives to the yogurt its softness and its strength. Pectin in yogurt provides the stability that is characteristic of jellies and jams and syneresis control and makes sure that the fruit additions remain crunchy, shiny and rich of flavour. In all these application Pectin, thanks to the charges of its natural molecule, provides structure or viscosity by creating an elastic mesh capable of retaining the high content of water inside the product, like it does in the fruits of origin. In Acidified Milk Drinks Pectin protects the milk casein from heath degradation this increases the product shelf life and provides a better mouth feel: due to the increased stability there is no separation and precipitation of solids in the package.

Pectin helps stabilize the fillings and toppings used in cakes, pastries and biscuits. The pre-oven fruit preparation obtained has a high melting temperature, does not get burned or boils during the time spent in the oven, does not spill liquids and colour into the dough.

When injected post-oven, the fruit preparation obtained has an optimal viscosity to make it pumpable and injectable, high resistance to shear and mechanical stress to prevent alteration in the gel structure during the injection process.

Pectin is also used for making tarts which need a firm, slightly gelatinous texture, or for creating a clear fruit glaze called nappage. The glaze, or nappage, is designed to maintain the appearance and the freshness of fruit on cakes, preventing oxidization and drying. In the breadmaking process, dough added with Pectin show a better performance, leading to higher specific volumes and softer crumbs both in fresh and stored bread.

Pectin is used to generate or increase viscosity in beverages and soft drinks, as well as a mouth-feel improver. This use has been widely developed for juice drinks with a reduced juice content or sugar-free soft drinks.

The use of pectin in fruit beverages and soft drinks as the concentration used rarely exceeds 0.5%. Compared to other gums used for the same purpose, its use results in  a clean mouth feeling as opposed the slimy mouth feel that results from the use of some other gums thanks to the low viscosity of pectin solutions in your mouth. Pectin is then the ideal choice when trying to replace the mouth feel lost by the reduction in sugar content in the effort of making more healthy refreshments.

Pectin to soft drinks highly contributes to the appearance and the taste of the product, by maintaining suspended the solids, giving a good mouthfeel through a controlled viscosity and boosting the flavour, at the same time reducing the amount of sugar needed in the formulation, it is also an addition of fibres to the formula.

A prebiotic is an edible but indigestible carbohydrate that stimulate the growth and activity of beneficial bacteria like Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli in the colon. Increasing evidence suggest that a balanced intestinal microbiota plays a key role in the maintenance of good health by keeping harmful pathogens in check. 

Pectin is a natural soluble fibre, so it can be used to enrich health foods and drinks, and more and more studies are confirming its pre-biotic properties, stemming into new, healthy products that contribute to maintain a healthy life style. But pectin is more than just a prebiotic. Researchers have long known that pectin can help to lower blood cholesterol levels, particularly very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL) particles which gets converted into low-density lipoprotein (‘bad’ cholesterol) in the blood. Pectin is also known for its superior binding capacity to heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium or mercury. To treat heavy metal intoxication, purified pectin has shown positive effects in several studies. A special type of modified pectin with a very narrow defined molecular weight distribution, mainly known as MCP (Modified Citrus Pectin), is peculiarly adapted for the usage as a dietary supplement or for pharmaceutical applications.