Structural and compositional variations of wolfberry pectin during hot air drying: Insights into temperature and alkaline pretreatment effects

Yukun Xia, Chaojing Cui, Xuechao Zheng, Yu Peng, Janar Jenis, Jianxiong Hao, Dandan Zhao

2025

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DOI 10.1080/07373937.2025.2609306
Data confidence 70 medium
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Abstract

Wolfberry faces challenges in preservation due to its high moisture content, necessitating drying before consumption. This study investigated the dynamic variation of cell wall material (CWM), particularly cell wall pectin, in wolfberry under various hot air-drying conditions with/without Na2CO3 solution pretreatment. Results showed that the CWM content decreased with decrease of moisture content during drying. Water-soluble pectin (WSP) exhibited a marked negative correlation with moisture content, whereas Na2CO3-soluble pectin (NSP) and chelated-soluble pectin (CSP) displayed a notably positive correlation. The increase of drying temperature decreased and increased the contents of WSP and NSP, respectively. Under the condition of drying at low temperature and Na2CO3 pretreatment, the esterification degree (DE) of WSP was lower than that at 50 and 60 °C. Additionally, significant depolymerization of WSP macromolecular structures was observed, resulting in shorter chain lengths and widths. These findings highlighted the significant impact of pretreatment and drying conditions on pectin properties, offering valuable insights into enhancing the preservation of wolfberry in industries.