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Past scholars
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Dr. Vasileios Kontogiorgos

University of Huddersfield, Department of Biological Sciencesy



Project: Isolation and characterisation of okra pectins.

Dr. Vasileios Kontogiorgos


Okra is an annual flowering plant that belongs to the Malvaceae family. It is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas including India, the Middle East, Southern USA and West Africa with the total trade exceeding $5 billion. The high fibre content and polysaccharides present in okra is the subject of significant research into their applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The project involved isolation and characterisation of pectin from okra pods with the view to use it in food applications. In the food industry, the properties of okra aqueous extracts is of primary technological interest as they can be used as thickening agents or as stabilisers in food emulsions. We used a range of analytical techniques to characterise the molecular structure and gain in-depth understanding of the functionality of the polysaccharide. The overall aim of the project was to develop biopolymer-stabilized emulsions from sustainable natural resources.Okra is an annual flowering plant that belongs to the Malvaceae family. It is mainly cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas including India, the Middle East, Southern USA and West Africa with the total trade exceeding $5 billion. The high fibre content and polysaccharides present in okra is the subject of significant research into their applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The project involved isolation and characterisation of pectin from okra pods with the view to use it in food applications. In the food industry, the properties of okra aqueous extracts is of primary technological interest as they can be used as thickening agents or as stabilisers in food emulsions. We used a range of analytical techniques to characterise the molecular structure and gain in-depth understanding of the functionality of the polysaccharide. The overall aim of the project was to develop biopolymer-stabilized emulsions from sustainable natural resources.