Revolutionizing pectin extraction from sugar beet pulp: a critical review of green and scalable techniques

This review explores different approaches for extracting low-esterified pectin from sugar beet pulp (SBP), a sustainable and often ignored by-product of sugar industry. Although traditional acid hydrolysis is commonly used, it has disadvantages such as varying yield and environmental concerns. Newer approaches-such as enzyme assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, and microwave-assisted extraction-have shown promising results in improving efficiency and preserving pectin quality. Using enzyme, especially when combined with ultrasonic pre-treatment, has demonstrated effective in increasing yield and reducing processing time. SBP-derived pectin has unique structural characteristic, like high acetylation, which can affect its functional properties. Hybrid techniques and eco-friendly solvents are developing as valuable tools to overcome these limitations. This review highlights strengths and challenges of each method, underlining importance of optimizing conditions for industrial use. This review specifically examines SBP, an underexploited source of pectin, highlighting novel green extraction technologies, structural-function relationships, and commercial viability-areas not extensively addressed in prior reviews.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-025-02043-2.