“Diseño de un proceso para la obtención de pectina a partir de la cáscara de naranja (citrus sinensis) para uso comercial”

Abstract

The objective of this project was to design a process to obtain pectin from orange peel (Citrus Sinensis) for commercial use; for this purpose, pectin was obtained at laboratory level, the process variables were determined, engineering calculations were made and the final product was validated. For the process, the raw material was selected and underwent physical-chemical and microbiológical characterization by means of a bromatological analysis; then it was subjected to enzymatic inactivation at a temperature of 100º Celsius, followed by acid hydrolysis in which the most important variables were controlled, such as: pH 1.5, temperature of 90º Celsius, 60 minutes extraction time 12 with constant agitation, for the precipitation stage ethanol at 96º was used and drying was carried out for 12 hours at a temperature of 50º Celsius. With the data obtained at the laboratory level, the sizing of the equipment necessary for the process was calculated, in which a feed flow of 500 kilograms of orange peel was established, and a cost-benefit study was carried out, in which the following values were obtained: NPV $220753.39, IRR of 94% and IRR of 11 months and 22 days. To validate the production process, a physicochemical and microbiological characterization of the pectin was carried out in an external laboratory, where the following results were obtained: 4.62% humidity, 1.44% ash, 0.02% protein, 1.36% fiber, 3.44% fat, 70.49% carbohydrates, 6.53% methoxyl content. It was concluded that the pectin obtained is within the ranges indicated by INEN 0427, considering it an acceptable product. It is recommended to keep the agitation constant during the acid hydrolysis process in order to guarantee the nucleophilic substitution reaction.