Pectin

Pectin is a heterosaccharide derived from the cell wall of plants. Pectins are variable in their chain lengths; complexity; and the order of each of the monosaccharide units.

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Under acidic conditions, pectin forms a gel, and it can be used as an edible thickening agent in processed foods. This effect is used for making jams and jellies.

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They are synthesised in the plant Golgi apparatus and form a matrix in which the hemicellulose polysacharides of the plant cell are embedded. An important part of fruit walls, pectin is broken down to pectinic acid and finally pectic acid. During this chemical breakdown process, the fruit gets softer as the cell walls degenerate.

Heterosaccharide: A heterosaccharide is a glycoside in which a sugar group is attached to a nonsugar group....

Cell wall: A cell wall is a more or less solid layer surrounding a cell. They are found in bacteria, archea, fungi, plants, and algae. Animals and most other protists have cell membranes without surrounding cell walls. When a cell wall is removed using cell wall degrading enzymes, what is left of the cell and ...

Plant: Land plants (embryophytes)Non-vascular plants (bryophytes)Hepaticophyta - liverwortsAnthocerotophyta - hornwortsBryophyta - mossesVascular plants (tracheophytes)Lycopodiophyta - clubmossesEquisetophyta - horsetailsPteridophyta - "true" fernsPsilotophyta - whisk fernsOphioglossophyta - adderstonguesS...