Pectin is a polysaccharide found in the cell walls of plants and is the ingredient that sets jams and jellies into a gel. All fruit contains some quantity of pectin, and often apples are used in recipes because of their pectin content.
When natural fruit pectin isn’t enough, commercial pectin can be used. Commercial pectin is formed from the peels of citrus fruits, which have an extremely high pectin content (as much as 30%). It speeds and strengthens the gelling process in jam recipes.
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