E440b - pectin amide
What it is and how it is used
Amidated pectin — E 440(ii) in the Great Britain specifications, and the substance this page's legacy code “E440b” refers to — is ordinary pectin that has been treated with ammonia. The treatment converts some of the methyl ester groups along the pectin chain into amide groups, and that single change alters how the gel behaves.
Standard low-methoxyl pectin needs a fairly precise calcium dose to set: too little and it stays runny, too much and it turns brittle or weeps. Amidation widens that window considerably, so a reduced-sugar jam sets reliably across a range of fruit and water hardness. Amidated pectin gels are also thixotropic — they can be stirred to a fluid and will re-set on standing, which is what a factory needs when a set jam has to be pumped into jars.
Foods commonly containing it
Reduced-sugar and no-added-sugar jams, diabetic and low-calorie preserves, fruit preparations stirred into yoghurt, bakery fruit fillings that must survive freezing and thawing, and dessert jellies.
Safety summary
Authorised in Great Britain within E 440, which sits in Group I and is permitted at quantum satis. This form is specified as E 440(ii) amidated pectin.
The Scientific Committee for Food allocated an ADI ‘not specified’ to both pectin and amidated pectin. EFSA re-evaluated the pair together in 2017 and confirmed no need for a numerical ADI: neither is absorbed intact, both are fermented by gut bacteria, there was no indication of genotoxicity, and neither was considered to have allergenic potential.
Note on labelling: an ingredients list may show “pectin” or “amidated pectin” or the number. The ammonia used in manufacture is a processing reagent — it is not present in the finished pectin.