Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

I have conducted my experiment on how cooking time affects the ability of the natural pectin in cranberries to form a solid gelatin. I cannot find any information though on how steam affects the gelling. I am also curious as to if pectin can evaporate or if the amount stays the same during the cooking process.

Hi gigatt,

You have an interesting question. I would imagine that the boiling temperature of pectin (the temperature at which it evaporates) would be quite high. The melting temperature might be close to the temperature used for baking, but I do not think it likely that the pectin is evaporating. That said, you may want to try to find out more about pectin as an organic molecule, and you might be able to find more specific information regarding its melting and boiling temperatures.

In the mean time, here is some information I found about pectins and baking: http://www.herbstreith-fox.de/fileadmin ... glisch.pdf

I hope this helps.

Heather