A new family of emulsifying products: the alkyl ester of sunflower pectin

Sunflower pectin are naturally low methylated and have a very high content of polyuronic acid. This confers them good qualities for derivation. Pectin alkyl esters were prepared with short( methanol, ethanol and allyl alcool) and superior (octanol, ethyl hexanol and dodecanol) alcohols. The classica l esterification conditions in reactor only allow reactions with short alco hols. A new technology was used for long alcohol chains: a solvent-free dem ethylation/alkylation procedure under microwaves. The reactivities of the d ifferent alcohols were compared. Competing reactions which limit the esteri fication in batch were studied. The action of the microwave irradiation was discussed. The emulsifying properties of the alkyl ester of sunflower pect in were finally examined.