Physicochemical characterization of pectin grafted with exogenous phenols

• The physicochemical properties of pectin grafted with phenols were studied.
• The morphological surface and the thermal properties of the pectin were altered.
• Pectin grafted with phenols showed a slower gelation rate.
• Grafting of phenols enhanced the antioxidant activity of pectin.

Pectin is a natural polysaccharide, having valuable properties that enable its use in many industrial fields. The aim of this work was to study the impact of pectin modification with phenols, on the properties of this biopolymer. Results suggested that the enzymatic grafting of ferulic acid (FA) oxidation products onto the pectin altered its morphological surface and its thermal properties. Moreover, modified pectin showed a less hygroscopic behavior when water activity is less than 0.50 and a higher ability to bound water above 0.5. Additionally, modified pectin became less viscous than the native pectin and presented different calcium-dependent gelation behavior. Finally, a significant improvement of the antioxidant properties of pectin after functionalization was observed. As a conclusion, the modification of pectin with phenolic compounds appeared as a promising way to produce a polysaccharide with new properties that could enlarge the field of its potential applications.

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