Pectinase - presoaking orange segments - Ask Extension
I would like to canned mandarin oranges, and would like to use pectinase to break down the membranes. I’ve seen this done on the Internet, but canno...
Knowledgebase
Pectinase - presoaking orange segments #856102
Asked December 05, 2023, 1:47 PM EST
I would like to canned mandarin oranges, and would like to use pectinase to break down the membranes. I’ve seen this done on the Internet, but cannot find any authoritative source for using it. The procedure I’m using is to peel and segment each orange with the membrane on, soaking the orange segments covered in water, and using about a half a teaspoon of powdered pectinase, dissolved in the water. Leaving that at room temperature around 70° until the membranes are dissolved, then rinsing the orange segments, and canning the segments using the NCHFP instructions.
Thank you so much for your help.
Baker County Oregon
Expert Response
Thanks for sending this question!
The procedure that you described should work just fine - this is a pretty easy process overall. The pectinase will work more quickly if the temperature is warmer, there is more pectinase in the water, and if you circulate/mix/stir the fruit. So, you can adjust any of those things to fit your schedule.
The last recommendation is to thoroughly rinse the fruit to remove as much pectinase as possible before storage or further processing. There is some pectin in the fruit tissue, so if you keep the enzyme in contact with the fruit you could end up with mushy product. Water bath canning will inactivate the pectinase, so if you process the fruit quickly that will stop them from getting more mushy.
Best of luck! Would love to hear how it works out.
Thanks for using Ask Extension.
Joy
The procedure that you described should work just fine - this is a pretty easy process overall. The pectinase will work more quickly if the temperature is warmer, there is more pectinase in the water, and if you circulate/mix/stir the fruit. So, you can adjust any of those things to fit your schedule.
The last recommendation is to thoroughly rinse the fruit to remove as much pectinase as possible before storage or further processing. There is some pectin in the fruit tissue, so if you keep the enzyme in contact with the fruit you could end up with mushy product. Water bath canning will inactivate the pectinase, so if you process the fruit quickly that will stop them from getting more mushy.
Best of luck! Would love to hear how it works out.
Thanks for using Ask Extension.
Joy
