The objective of this study was to extract and characterize pectins from
diverse waste fractions of Citrus unshiu, which were aggregated
with soy protein isolate and utilized to stabilize the oil droplets as
high-internal-phase Pickering particles. All pectins extracted from flavedo,
albedo, and pomace (extraction yield: 14.22, 17.56, and 14.33%,
respectively) were found to be low-methoxyl with degrees of esterification
of 27.40, 28.79, and 36.28%, respectively. Furthermore, all pectins
exhibited shear-thinning behavior, with consistency index values of 5.13,
0.79, and 0.47 Pa·s for flavedo, albedo, and pomace, respectively. The
average molecular weights were determined as 72, 29, and 7.4 kDa,
respectively, based on the observed viscous behaviors. It is noteworthy that
flavedo-extracted pectin demonstrated the highest dislocation density and
glass-transition temperature among all the anmorphous pectins, a phenomenon
that may be ascribed to its elevated calcium ion content (9.63 mg/g) and
ionic interactions. The pectins were aggregated with soy protein isolate
(SPI) at pH 3.5 and 4.0 through ionic and hydrogen interactions, and
utilized to prepare high-internal-phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs). The
HIPPEs that were stabilized with these aggregates demonstrated superior
centrifugal and storage stabilities, with no phase separation, in comparison
to those stabilized solely with either SPI or pectin. Consequently, the
results suggest that pectins originating from Citrus unshiu waste
have the potential to be used as a food additive, such as a stabilizer or
emulsifier.