Pectinase — Hidden Processing Agent — Is It Vegan?

Vegan status: Vegan

Also known as: Pectin-degrading enzyme, Polygalacturonase, Pectinesterase

Source

Produced by microbial fermentation — primarily from the fungi Aspergillus niger or Aspergillus oryzae. Entirely microbial in origin.

Used in

Fruit juice clarification (apple, grape, citrus), wine production (increases juice yield and improves clarity), beer production, coffee processing (wet fermentation), pectin extraction.

Appears on label: No. Listed as 'enzyme' in juice and wine ingredients if declared. Typically not required to appear on the final product label when used as a processing aid.

How to avoid

No need to avoid — pectinase is vegan.

Notes

Pectinase is one of the most important industrial enzyme groups. In juice production, it breaks down the pectin in fruit cell walls, releasing more juice and improving clarity. In coffee, wet-process fermentation uses naturally occurring pectinase-producing microorganisms to remove the mucilage from coffee beans — a traditional practice now better understood microbiologically.