Pectin

A gelling substance found naturally in vegetables and fruit. Pectin is needed as an ingredient when making jams and jellies to thicken the mixture to make it gel. Some fruits have high levels of pectin, such as apples, cranberries, blackberries, oranges, tangerines, quince, lemons, and grapes, to name a few. Other fruits such as apricots, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, pineapples, peaches, pears, and cherries are low in pectin. Consequently, those fruits low in pectin that are to be made into jelly or jam, cannot gel without adding some form of pectin, usually a commercially produced pectin, to the ingredients. By adding an artificially produced pectin in either a liquid or dry form, it reduces the cooking time and provides a fresh fruit flavor to the food being prepared.