There is a little known fact about the Philippine Carabao mango. Its mango peels can be turned to pectin, an earth and money saver.

This is the result of the joint research conducted by the Philippine Center for Postharvest Development and Mechanization (PHilMech) of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Pectin and Its Many Uses

Found in the cell wall of plants like apples and citrus fruits is pectin, a complex polysaccharide, a carbohydrate.

Pectin has many uses. It is a food additive, pharmaceutical ingredient, cosmetic stabilizer, a dietary fiber. All these because of its gelling, thickening and stabilizing properties.

As food additive, pectin is found in jams, jellies, marmalades, yoghurts and baked products. One thing good about pectin is its safety. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations consider pectin as a safe food additive.

As a pharmaceutical ingredient, it is used in drug suspension and emulsion, wound healing preparations, medical and denture adhesives and even in throat lozenges. It is also a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substance by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As a cosmetic stabilizer, pectin is used as a natural texture powder for paste, ointment, oils and creams. It is used in hair tonic, shampoo and body lotion. Pectin is also a dietary fiber. It binds to cholesterol in the gastrointestinal tract and slows glucose absorption by trapping carbohydrates (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/pectin).

Pectin has indeed many uses that private companies abroad are commercially producing it with apple pomace and peels of citrus fruits as source.

Mango Peels as Source of Pectin

Among plants, apples and citrus fruits contain large amounts of pectin. But here is the good news! The Philippine Carabao mango is also a good source of pectin. A team of researchers from DA-PHilMech and ITDI-DOST found this out.

Dr. Ma. Cristina B. Gragasin,Supervising Science Research Specialist of PHilMech and the lead researcher of the project, Utilization of Mango Peels as Source of Pectin, said that the pectin they produced conformed to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) specifications for high grade pectin and showed similar gelling properties with the commercial grade apple pectin.

"Production of pectin from mango peels is both technically and economically feasible," said Dr. Gragasin. "Therefore, local production of pectin from mango peels is a promising venture," she added. According to Dr. Gragasin,"For every five kilograms of dried mango peels, one kilogram of pectin is produced. This is done through an extraction process whereby mango peels are dissolved in acidified water and alcohol precipitation."

For this research result, Dr. Gragasin and her team composed of Engr. Aileen Ligisan, Dr. Rosalinda Torres and Romulo Estrella garnered top awards in several R & D award giving bodies like the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR), Central Luzon Agricultural Resources Research and Development Consortium (CLARRDEC), and PHilMech.

Contribution to Economy and the Environment About 25,000 to 33,000 kilograms of mango peels are thrown away by mango processors in the country every year. This poses a disposal problem, an environmental concern.

With the utilization of mango peels for pectin, mango wastes will no longer be a garbage problem. Instead, these mango wastes can be turned to wealth.

The Philippines imports pectin from other countries for its domestic use in the industry. The Department of Trade and Industry importation data showed that in 2011, the average cost of one kilogram imported apple pectin was Php 27,122.56.

On the other hand, Dr. Gragasin revealed that the cost to produce one kilogram of pectin from mango peels at the laboratory was only Php 5,667.51. Imagine how much the country will save if this venture works at the commercial level.

Dr. Gragasin added, "The Philippines can be a major pectin exporter if all the projected mango peels at the mango processing plants can be utilized for pectin production… Job creation will also result… Moreover, it will create a high impact on the environment through solid waste reduction."

With this laboratory result, Dr. Gragasin's team is optimistic that the utilization of mango peels for pectin at the commercial level will also do good in the near future.

Yes, everything has its purpose. Even the unwanted mango wastes can be transformed to a thing of high commercial value - pectin, an environment and money saver.