Abstract
•Waste heads of Helianthus annus were exploited as a source of pectin.•First application of UAE of pectin from waste heads of Helianthus annus..•All the extraction process parameters had optimistic influence on pectin recovery.•Make use of CCD statistical design, optimal condition was determined.•Extracted pectin was characterized and compared with commercial pectin.
The main aim of this current work is to extract pectin from waste heads of Helianthus annus by ultrasound and optimize the process variables (ultrasound power (USP), pH, time of sonication (TS) and ratio of solid to liquid (RSL) on maximal recovery of pectin using central composite statistical experimental design. In addition to that, extracted pectin at optimal condition was characterized and compared with commercial pectin. The optimal extraction process condition was USP of 375w, pH of 3.2, TS of 32min and RSL of 1:15g/ml. Mean experimental pectin yield of 8.89±0.024% was well accord with predicted pectin yield (8.91%). Analysis of chemical composition and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of extracted pectin did not show any significant difference with commercial pectin. XRD analysis illustrated a similar crystalline profile in both extracted and commercial pectin. Morphological analysis was performed on fresh and extracted samples using scanning electron microscopy.