Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Commercial Pectin

Is pectin on the list of items to disappear next?  I have no idea.  I've been quite surprised at what has disappeared first in the current crisis.  I'm really surprised that coffee hasn't been impacted yet.  Most of the items in short supply are things we actually produce in this country, rather than imported items.  Anyway, I'm not wishing to create a run on pectin.  I don't have enough readers to make that kind of impact anyway.
However, we've already seen a run on canning lids, bread machines, and freezers, as well as yeast, flour, and other baking essentials.  With the recently renewed interest in gardening and the difficulty in sourcing vegetable seeds, I think panic buying of pectin is entirely within the realm of possibility.  If you don't want to make jam without it, it's something to acquire before fruit begins ripening in the next several weeks.

If you're among those new to buying pectin and preparing to make your own jam this year, let's take a look at the various pectin options so that you can purchase what you really want.

First off, it's important to note that it is not necessary to purchase commercial boxes of pectin to make jam.  Women were preserving jam long before those packages were an option.  Complete information on making jam without pectin will be covered in a future post, but basically, it involves cooking the fruit and sugar for a lot longer than is necessary with commercially produced pectin.

You can also make your own pectin at home from underripe apples or crabapples.  It's not at all complicated and will also be the topic of a future post.

Now for what pectin is and what it does so that you can decide whether you want to store some for future needs.  Pectin is a naturally occurring substance in the cell walls of fruits.  As a thickening agent, it allows jam to be prepared more quickly with less cooking, thus preserving more of the fresh flavor and color.

There are several options among commercially-produced pectins, all with their advantages and disadvantages.

Dry vs liquid pectin.  Most of the pectin sold in stores is the dry variety.  Dry pectin has a longer shelf-life than liquid pectin (Certo is a common brand).  Liquid and dry pectin cannot be used interchangeably in recipes.  The issue is how these pectins work; liquid pectin is added near the end of cooking, while dry pectin is added at the beginning.  It is not a food safety issue.

Among the dry pectins there are several options with significant differences in the process for using them and the amount of sugar used.

Classic, regular, high methoxyl, or high ester pectin.  Sure-Jell and Ball are common brand names of this type of pectin.  It requires more sugar than fruit for making jam.  Another brand is MCP (modified citrus pectin) which uses citrus pectin and citric acid.  It is more easily located in the western half of the US. 

Low sugar, no sugar, low methoxyl, or low ester pectin.  Ball and Sure-Jell offer this type in boxes just like the classic option, and the directions are similar.  Most dry pectins, whether regular or low/no-sugar, have about a two-year shelf-life. 

Pomona's is another brand, and while the price seems high, it is actually more cost-effective since each box makes several batches of jam.  It's more easily found in grocery stores on the East coast or ordered online.  Pomona's pectin uses calcium to help set jam, so less sugar is required.  It works well for pepper jellies and other jams that are difficult to set, like apricot.  Pomona's pectin has an indefinite shelf-life. 

Ball and Sure-Jell both use ingredients that may be GMO and are thus shunned by some in favor of more natural options like DIY apple pectin or simply making jam without added pectin.

Something to keep in mind, and which is rarely mentioned when the various pectin options are discussed, is that sugar itself is a preservative.  For the longest shelf-life--and the prettiest, brightest jam--using the full-sugar options is essential.  The low/no-sugar jams have a much shorter shelf-life, usually less than a year.  After a short time, they begin to look dull and unappetizing.  Jams made with Sure-Jell store well for years--the flavor, texture, and color remain beautiful.   The approximately 1:1 ratio of sugar to fruit is critical for this long-term preservation and is probably what you want to do if you've got a bountiful harvest of fruit.  If you're only making enough jam for a year or so a 1:2 ratio of sugar to fruit will work just fine. 

For further reading:
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/liquid-pectin-vs-powdered-pectin-11187.html
https://whatscookingamerica.net/Q-A/pectin.htm
https://morningchores.com/pectin/