Application of combined Box–Behnken design with response surface methodology and desirability function in optimizing pectin extraction from fruit peels

Abstract

BackgroundThis study aimed to extract pectin from various fruits peel, namely apple, orange, green citron and pomegranate, and evaluate the effect of experimental conditions. The extraction continued under 50–90°C extraction temperatures with the solid‐liquid ratio of 0.03 to 0.08 g/ml within 120–180 minutes. The Box‐Behnken Design (BBD) was applied at three‐level and four‐factor factorial design, including 29 experiments for each extraction with varied conditions. The interaction effects were investigated from the data analysis. Each experiment's optimal conditions were optimized by applying its maximum desirability function for the highest response with the best combined independent parameters.ResultsThe outcomes were varied for % yield (11.70–37.37%), %MC (1.55–4.69), %AUA (65.98–82.32%) and %DE (48.53–56.75). The maximum amount was found in apples, whereas the lowest was in pomegranates. All the significant parameters are related to the experimental conditions, and values depend on the independent variables. The optimization process experimented against predicted values error within the 10%, supported the developed quadratic model and indicated its significance. The 3D response surface plot discovered the interaction between the independent variables and their influences on the dependent variables.ConclusionUnder varied optimized experimental conditions, the physicochemical results provide high‐quality pectin extracted from pomegranate, orange, green citron, and apple peel waste, which are potential sources of commercial pectin. The extract was considered high methyl ester pectin with a degree of esterification of >50% and pectin purity with an AUA content of > 65%. Therefore, the studied peel pectin could be a food additive for numerous uses. The currently developed procedure effectively reuses the waste resources that contributed to a novel concept to explore the natural assets for food and pharmaceutical applications.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.