Abstract
The effect of different cell wall degrading enzymes, cellulase (C) and hemicellulase (HC), during the enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) of pectin from carrot pomace was investigated. The EAE with C and a heat treatment resulted in a pectin yield, purity, and molecular structure comparable to an acid extraction (AE), except for a slightly lower molar mass and a slightly higher degree of methylesterification. The addition of HC had a negligible influence on the pectin yield and structure and mainly resulted in more hemicellulose co-extraction. Overall, the AE still resulted in the highest pectin yield, but, despite the much milder extraction conditions, the optimal EAE process resulted in 80% of the pectin yield of the AE. Additionally, this study investigated an EAE with C in combination with an AE, and both combination treatments, i.e., EAE as pretreatment or as an additional treatment, resulted in a significant increase in the pectin yield (up to 72%), while minor structural differences were observed in the extracted pectin. Overall, it can be concluded that the EAE process can be used as a more environmentally friendly alternative for the AE or that EAE can be used in combination with an AE to improve the efficiency of the extraction process.