Recovery of carotenoid and pectin from agro-wastes using water-induced complexation method

The red-fleshed pulp discarded from the pink guava processing is a rich source of lycopene and pectin. These valuable phytochemicals have been clinically proven for their effectiveness in treating chronic diseases, especially cancer. In this study, both lycopene and pectin were extracted from the pink guava decanter by the complexation between lycopene and naturally occurring pectin from the plant matrix. The formation of lycopene-pectin complexes was induced by the aqueous medium, and the colloidal substances can be subsequently recovered by sedimentation. The developed method was also successfully applied to other agro -byproducts for the extraction of carotenoid and pectin.