1.

3 Significance of the Study

With the continuous economic growth comes the increasing demand for technological

advancements. The wide variety of industries requires the constant search for new and feasible

raw materials in order to cope up with the ever-changing production demands.

The demand for pectin, having apparent applications as functional ingredient in food

science, nutrition, cosmetics, and pharmacy, continues to hike with rapid population growth in

the Philippines (May, 1990). As of this writing, the Philippines relies heavily on imported pectin

due to the absence of viable technology to produce it locally. The principal sources of pectin so

far suggested are apple pomace or the refuse from cider and vinegar mills, citrus peels or the

refuse from the production of citric acid and other major citric products, beet pulp or the residue

from beet sugar manufacture, and carrots which can be raised quite cheaply.

So far as is known only the refuse from operations handling apples or citrus fruits have

been used commercially as sources of pectin. Given this, the commercialization of pectin

production from CPHs paves way to economic stability by making it accessible locally and

eradicating the need to import which results to cheaper production costs for the local industries

in the country.

The growing chocolate industry in the Philippines equates to higher number of waste

materials, particulary solid wastes in the form of unutilized CPHs. The processing of this

material as feedstock for pectin production provides means to utilize the waste produced by the

chocolate manufacturing industry. Consequently, it would lessen the amount of residuals for

dumping and thus, reducing environmental degradation.

 This proposed facility would pilot the first processing plant for Low-Methoxyl Pectin

(LMP) from Cacao (Theobroma Cacao) pod husks in the Philippines. This would cater the

requirement of local manufacturing industries utilizing pectin in their respective processes.

The industrial plant would also be beneficial as it provides additional revenue to the

cacao industry. Aside from these, it supplies additional number of jobs in the Philippines, giving

chances for more workers and wage earners.