Pectins and their manipulation

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Graham B. Seymour and J. Paul Knox, Blackwell Publishing, UK, 2002, xii + 250 pp., price £79.00, ISBN 1-841-27228-0Pectins make up perhaps two thirds of the dry mass of the primary walls of plant cells, contributing substantially to the strength and flexibility of the cell wall. As such, pectin structure and properties are fundamental to their biological function and also potential applications, ranging from sweet, fruit-flavoured gels to wound dressings. This book provides a broad-ranging overview of pectin-related science, containing a mix of structure, physical properties and applications, backed up by summaries of pectin biosynthesis and role in plant development.

The book opens with a very useful overview of the chemical structure of pectins, detailing their constituent oligosaccharides and chemical stability. The chapter goes on to consider methods for pectin extraction and fractionation, along with pectins as food ingredients and bioactive compounds in their own right. Chapter two details the interaction of pectins with other biopolymers in the context of models for cell wall architecture, together with studies on covalent cross-links and non-covalent interactions between pectins and various other glycopolymers. Chapter three follows with a comprehensive review of what is known about the events and location of pectin biosynthesis, including extensive information on biochemical pathways leading to sugar nucleotide formation and details of characterised glycosyltransferase activities. The impact of pectin component oligosaccharide structure and chain aggregation on the mechanical properties of the bulk glycopolymer, which have implications for both biological function and applications, are covered in Chapter four. Chapter five outlines the use of antibody probes to investigate the role of pectins in cell and developmental biology. In particular, this chapter details the matrix properties of pectins, their role in cell wall architecture, signalling, cell proliferation and expansion, differentiation and cell adhesion. Chapters six and seven provide a summary of the enzymatic modification (degradation) of pectins including the action of esterases, hydrolases and lyases, the latter two being covered in some detail in chapter seven. The final chapter (eight) considers commercial pectin preparations and their applications, detailing raw materials, correlating pectin modification with properties and the use of pectins as thickening and gelling agents.

This book provides a very useful overview of the various facets of pectin chemistry, biology and application. Having all this information available from a single source, in digestible form and at reasonable cost, will no doubt prove attractive to anyone with an interest in pectins specifically and plant carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry more generally.

Rob Field
School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, UK

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