NutraPectin

Nutrapectin is trying to address the issues of waste and lifestyle disease in South Africa. Millions of tons of organic waste is produced by the food and beverage industry every year, as they convert fruit such as oranges into juices and other secondary products which South Africans consume. However, these waste products can contain medically relevant compounds – such as pectin, a plant polysaccharide. There is a growing body of scientific literature that supports the use of a pectin as a supplement to prevent lifestyle diseases – such as diabetes, a major cause of death in South Africa. Nutrapectin is developing an environmentally friendly green extraction process to separate pectin from orange peel waste, using it to produce a dietary supplement that can be utilised as a preventative measure for lifestyle disease.