Journal of Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, 2019, 7, 454-467 https://www.scirp.org/journal/jmmce ISSN Online: 2327-4085 ISSN Print: 2327-4077 DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2019.76032 Nov. 27, 2019 454 J. Minerals and Materials Characterization and Engineering Extraction of Pectin from Ripe Plantain Peel, Fabrication and Characterization of Composite (Pectin/PVA/Glycerol) Films Produced from the Extracted Pectin Chizoba May Obele 1 , Stanley Udochukwu Ofoegbu 2 , Chioma Irene Awuzie 3 1 Department of Polymer and Textile Engineering, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria 2 Department of Materials and Ceramic Engineering, CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, Aveiro, Portugal 3 Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Nigeria Abstract High methoxyl pectin (DE = 59.53%) was extracted from plantain peel using acid extraction method. Pectin yield was 40.5%; moisture content was 87.56%; equivalent weight was 1000 g/ml, and galacturonic acid content was 2.89 mg/ml. Composite polymer films incorporating the extracted pectin ma- nifest their best mechanical properties; tensile strength and % elongation of 5.51 MPa and 5.75% respectively with 10 ml glycerol/1g pectin. Raman spec- tra peaks at 2930 cm 1 , 1750 cm −1 and 820 cm −1 indicated CH-stretch, C=O es- ter group of pectin and COH ring in pectin respectively. Films containing pectin sourced from waste are considered potential alternative sources of en- vironmentally benign packaging materials. Keywords Composite Films, Waste, Bio Economy, Sustainable, Raw Materials 1. Introduction Pectin is an excellent carbohydrate polymer derived from mainly natural re- sources and is the structural component of plant cell wall [1]. Chemically, pectin is poly α-1, 4-galacturonic acid, with varying degree of methylation of carboxylic acid residues. Pectin with more than 50% methyl ester groups is classified as high-methoxyl (HM) and those with less than 50% methyl ester groups as low-methoxyl (LM). The degree of esterification of galacturonic acid residues of How to cite this paper: Obele, C.M., Ofoegbu, S.U. and Awuzie, C.I. (2019) Ex- traction of Pectin from Ripe Plantain Peel, Fabrication and Characterization of Compo- site (Pectin/PVA/Glycerol) Films Produced from the Extracted Pectin. Journal of Min- erals and Materials Characterization and Engineering, 7, 454-467. https://doi.org/10.4236/jmmce.2019.76032 Received: June 3, 2019 Accepted: November 24, 2019 Published: November 27, 2019 Copyright © 2019 by author(s) and Scientific Research Publishing Inc. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Open Access