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pec·tin 
Audio Help [pek-tin] Pronunciation Key
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Audio Help [pek-tin] Pronunciation Key –noun Biochemistry.
| a white, amorphous, colloidal carbohydrate of high molecular weight occurring in ripe fruits, esp. in apples, currants, etc., and used in fruit jellies, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics for its thickening and emulsifying properties and its ability to solidify to a gel. |
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| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Pectin
To learn more about Pectin visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| pec·tin
Audio Help (pěk'tĭn) Pronunciation Key
n. Any of a group of water-soluble colloidal carbohydrates of high molecular weight found in ripe fruits, such as apples, plums, and grapefruit, and used to jell various foods, drugs, and cosmetics. [French pectine, from Greek pēktos, coagulated, from pēgnunai, to coagulate; see pag- in Indo-European roots.] pec'tic, pec'tin·ous adj. |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
pectin
1838, from Fr. pectine, coined by Fr. chemist Henri Braconnot (1781-1855) from acide pectique "pectic acid," a constituent of fruit jellies, from Gk. pektikos "curdling, congealing," from pektos "curdled, congealed," from pegnynai "to make stiff or solid," from PIE base *pag-/*pak- "to join together" (see pact).
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| pectin | |
noun | |
| any of various water-soluble colloidal carbohydrates that occur in ripe fruit and vegetables; used in making fruit jellies and jams |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
| pectin
Audio Help (pěk'tĭn) Pronunciation Key
Any of a group of carbohydrate substances found in the cell walls of plants and in the tissue between certain plant cells. Pectin is produced by the ripening of fruit and helps the ripe fruit remain firm. As the fruit overripens, the pectin breaks down into simple sugars (monosaccharides) and the fruit loses its shape and becomes soft. Pectins can be made to form gels, and are used in certain medicines and cosmetics and in making jellies. |
| The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
Pectin
Pec"tin\, n. [Gr. ? curdled, congealed, from ? to make fast or stiff: cf. F. pectine.] (Chem.) One of a series of carbohydrates, commonly called vegetable jelly, found very widely distributed in the vegetable kingdom, especially in ripe fleshy fruits, as apples, cranberries, etc. It is extracted as variously colored, translucent substances, which are soluble in hot water but become viscous on cooling.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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