Pectin is the setting power inside fruit, the reason a jam thickens. It is about as plant-based as an ingredient gets.
Made fromCitrus peel and apples
E numberE440
VerdictVegan
Where it hides
Jams, jellies and preserves
Fruit sweets and pastilles
Some yogurts and fillings
Dairy-free desserts
What it is
Pectin is a natural component of fruit cell walls, concentrated in citrus peel and apple cores, extracted and dried into a powder that gels in the presence of sugar and acid.
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produced from citrus fruits for use as an edible gelling agent, especially in jams and jellies
Pectin is why a fruit jam sets without gelatin, and it is a common vegan-friendly gelling agent in fruit sweets and fillings. It is worth knowing which sweets use pectin rather than gelatin, since the two do similar jobs and only one is plant-based.
Agar (agar-agar, E406)Agar is the vegan answer to gelatin, a firm jelly set from seaweed. It has been doing this job in Asian kitchens for a very long time.
Carrageenan (E407)Carrageenan is a thickener pulled from red seaweed. It has its critics on other grounds, but the vegan question is not one of them.
GelatinGelatin is boiled animal collagen, usually from pig or cow skin and bone. There is no plant version; the plant swaps are agar, pectin and carrageenan.
Frequently asked
Is E440 vegan?
Yes. E440 is pectin, extracted from fruit such as citrus peel and apples, so it is plant-based and vegan.
Are pectin sweets vegan?
The pectin itself is vegan, and pectin-set sweets avoid gelatin. Check the rest of the ingredients, since some products also add non-vegan colours like carmine or glazes like shellac.
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