Pectins are water soluble hydrocolloids able to gel in a variety of food products, used extensively in the food processing and confectionery industries.
Pectin has an unopposed marketing acceptance and is further expanding its functionality into bakery, pharmaceutical and dietary areas. Citrico's new pectin processing plant in Malchin, Germany, opened in October last year. Its annual production, set at 4500 metric tonnes, is produced in a state-of-the-art, high efficiency plant and is providing customers with a continuous flow of quality citrus pectins. The opening of the new pectin plant complements the lemon juice concentrate business, which has been growing since Citrico was unveiled for business in 1997. Citrico is the only fully vertically integrated pectin producer in the industry. Citrico's source of raw material for pectin is derived from its lemon processing businesses based in Argentina, Mexico and California. This enables Citrico to have a guaranteed supply of lemon peel. Citrico process the peel by washing and drying the material at the processing sites giving greater control over the raw materials for pectin production. The plant in Germany produces high and low methoxyl pectins suitable for the beverage, fruit processing, confectionery and pharmaceutical industries, these have proved to be excellent for the manufacturers utilising them. They aim over the coming months to complete the range of high methoxyl pectins and fully develop their first range of low methoxyl pectins.
enquiry no 54
Citrico Europe is based in Ledbury, Herefordshire, UK. www.citrico.com
