Pectins as sources of POS
POS are obtained by pectin depolymerization. Pectins
are ramified heteropolymers made up of a linear backbone
of a(1e4)-linked D-galacturonic acid (GalA) units (which
can be randomly acetylated and/or methylated). These linear
structures make part of the “smooth region” of pectins,
which is occasionally interrupted by “hairy regions” characterized
by ramifications made up of neutral sugars.
Fig. 1 shows a simplified structure of pectins, which are
made up of the following major components: