Extraction of Low Methoxyl Pectin from Fresh Sunflower Heads by Subcritical Water Extraction

Subcritical water extraction (SWE) of pectin from fresh sunflower heads was optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM). The optimal conditions for the maximum yield of pectin (6.57 ± 0.6%) were found to be a pressure of 8 bar, temperature of 120 °C, time of 20 min, and liquid–solid ratio (LSR) of 7 mL/g. The degree of esterification (DE) of pectin was analyzed by titrimetry and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) methods, which was low methoxyl pectin. The molecular weight (Mw), galacturonic acid (GalA) content, and surface tension of pectin were 11.50 kDa, 82%, and 45.38 mN/m (1.5% w/v), respectively. Moreover, thermogravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis confirmed that pectin had excellent thermal stability. FTIR and 1H NMR spectra confirmed its structure. This study demonstrated that SWE could be used as a productive and environmentally friendly method for extracting pectin from fresh sunflower heads.