Abstract: Effects of countercurrent extraction stage, temperature, concentration of ammonium oxalate, material to solution ratio and extraction time on extraction rate of pectin from Passiflora edulis peel with ammonium oxalate were investigated in this study. The results showed that the optimum extraction conditions are as follows: countercurrent extraction stage 3, temperature 90 ℃; concentration of ammonium oxalate 0.35%; material to ammonium oxalate solution ratio 35:1 (g/ml) and extraction time 5.5 h. Compared with conventional method, the extraction rate of pectin increases from 2.22% to 3.82%. The results of quality determination of pectin showed that the method is high-performance, which does not change the quality of pectin.

Key words: pectin, Passiflora edulis peel, ammonium oxalate, countercurrent extraction