Pectinase

Pectinase is a complex of enzymes (polygalacturonase, pectin methylesterase and pectin lyase) that hydrolyse and de-esterify the pectin polysaccharides of plant cell walls. The complex is the workhorse of juice extraction, clarification and viscosity reduction in fruit and vegetable processing.

Amber liquid for direct dosing into mash tanks and clarification lines, or off-white powder for blended dry products. Activity is standardised in Polygalacturonase units (PG or PGU) and, for clarification grades, in apple juice depectinisation time at defined dosage.

We supply food-grade Pectinase from manufacturers in China holding ISO 22000, FSSC 22000, Halal, Kosher and other certifications relevant to the product and production. Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus aculeatus are the dominant source organisms.

Common market grades include 10,000 PG/mL mash treatment liquid for apple and grape press yield enhancement, 30,000 to 60,000 PG/mL clarification grades, 100,000 PG/g concentrated powder, and macerating enzyme blends combining pectinase with cellulase and hemicellulase for total cell-wall breakdown.

Bulk and reduced-MOQ shipments. Batch-level COA covering activity, pH optimum, temperature optimum, cellulase side activity, heavy metals and microbiology.

Pectinase was the first commercial fungal enzyme preparation in industrial food processing, introduced for apple juice clarification by Z. I. Kertesz and A. Mehlitz in the 1930s. The original product transformed cloudy pressed juice into the brilliantly clear commercial product consumers recognise today.

Industrial production is by submerged or solid-state fermentation of Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus aculeatus, with the latter widely used for combined pectinase and arabinanase activity required in stone-fruit and high-cloud-stable applications. Modern preparations are tuned via strain selection and downstream blending to deliver application-specific activity ratios.

The enzyme complex is Generally Recognized as Safe by the U.S. FDA from approved Aspergillus strains, listed in the JECFA enzyme compendium, and approved as a processing aid in the EU. No Acceptable Daily Intake is assigned.

Mechanistically, the three core activities act in concert. Polygalacturonase hydrolyses the alpha-1,4-glycosidic backbone of de-esterified pectin. Pectin methylesterase removes methyl ester groups from highly esterified pectin, preparing it for polygalacturonase action. Pectin lyase cleaves the same backbone through beta-elimination without requiring prior de-esterification.

Strategic positioning in industrial food processing is dominant in the global fruit and vegetable processing sector: there is essentially no large-scale apple, grape, berry or citrus juice operation worldwide that does not use pectinase at one or more process points.

• Apple, pear, grape and berry juice extraction; pectinase mash treatment lifts press yields by 10 to 25 percent
• Juice clarification; depectinisation produces brilliantly clear juice and stabilises against post-bottling haze
• Wine production; mash treatment of red and white grapes for colour and aroma extraction
• Tomato pulp and paste viscosity reduction
• Citrus oil recovery from peel and pulp side streams
• Olive oil extraction; supports yield and clarity in modern continuous processes
• Tea and coffee processing; supports extraction and instant powder manufacture
• Vegetable maceration for purees, baby food and clinical nutrition
• Fruit-based functional ingredient extraction including polyphenols and pigments