Pectins are substances related to acidic polysaccharides.

Pectins are substances related to acidic polysaccharides. This complex carbohydrates, form an intercellular substance, insoluble in cold water, which when boiled, especially with sugar, cooling, turns into a solution in the form of a thick colloid mass. Pectin consists of uronic acids, cellulose, sugars, esters and polygalacturonic acid salts. With organic acids and sugars, pectin forms a jelly-like jelly. A significant amount of polysaccharides found in all parts of plants (especially fruits and roots) contains polygalacturonic acids. A specific property of pectins is the formation of insoluble complex compounds with many mineral substances (calcium, lead, cesium, cobalt, strontium, mercury and other heavy metals), which are not digested, are removed from the body. Pectins bind and remove from the body radioactive strontium, cobalt, mercury and lead. Low molecular weight pectin, partially absorbed into the blood, slows down its coagulation (act as anticoagulants), from the intestine are withdrawn almost unchanged.

It is established that pectins improve digestion, promote the synthesis of vitamins by the intestinal microflora, normalize its composition in the treatment of various diseases of the digestive canal - colitis, enteritis, enterocolitis, reduce putrefactive processes in the intestines, neutralize poisons formed in it or from outside. Pectin substances accelerate the excretion of excess cholesterol and metabolic products from the body, stimulate intestinal peristalsis and the activity of useful microflora, suppressing the pathogenic. They have antitoxic and bactericidal activity.

Pectin substances are found in many fruit-berry and some vegetable plants: oranges - 12.4%, currants of red - 2.3-5.6, black and cranberries - 2.5-8.8, persimmon and blueberries - 0.6 , Apples - 1,6-5,6, apricots - 4-7,1, cherry - 11,4%, cherry, barberry, aronia, arugula, grapefruit peel, hawthorn, strawberry, dogrose, Kalyne, gooseberry, carrot, Potatoes, beets, a basket of sunflower, radish. All of them are radioprotectors and detoxifying products in the human diet. Pectin substances also have an anti-sclerotic effect.

It follows from the table that the fruits and berries of cultivated plants are most rich in pectic substances. So, apples contain them up to 15%, oranges - 12,4, cherries - 11,4, apricots - 7,1, currants black and red - 6,3-6,5, dog rose - 3,7, etc. From wild-growing The highest content of pectins are cranberry berries - up to 8.8%, cloudberries, hawthorn, quince - 2.1, strawberries, blackberries, medlars, ashberry varieties - 1,67-1,8, grapes - 1,5, shepherdia - 1 , 32%.