INS 440 (i) is pectin, the gelling fibre found in the cell walls of fruit. The current Codex INS list gives the number 440 to pectins as a whole; the sub-index follows the European numbering, where E440(i) is ordinary pectin and E440(ii) amidated pectin, a chemically modified form. Codex lists pectins as emulsifiers, gelling agents, glazing agents, stabilizers and thickeners.
Commercial pectin is extracted with hot, acidified water from citrus peel or apple pomace, the leftovers of juice making, then precipitated with alcohol and dried. It is entirely plant-derived.
High-methoxyl pectin, the most common type, sets into a gel when there is plenty of sugar and enough acid, which is exactly how jam works. In Denma filled cookies, with their strawberry, prune and apricot fillings, pectin is the kind of gelling agent that keeps a fruit filling set yet soft.
