Gelling agents for inserts

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Panagiotis Moysakis

Welcome to the Scoolinary community! Thanks for your question.

Yes, yellow pectin can be a good substitute for NH pectin, but there are some key differences to consider:

Key Differences:

NH Pectin: A modified pectin that is thermo-reversible, meaning it can be reheated and adjusted in texture.

Yellow Pectin: Activated with sugar and acid, creating firmer gels, but it is not thermo-reversible.

Substitution:

If you don’t need to reheat the filling once gelled, you can use yellow pectin instead. The recommended substitution ratio is 1:1, but some adjustments may be needed depending on the recipe.

NH Pectin: 0.8% – 1% of the total preparation weight.

Yellow Pectin: You may need slightly more, around 1% – 1.2% of the total weight.

If you need a more flexible gel or plan to reheat the preparation later, yellow pectin won’t work the same way as NH pectin. In that case, you could try a combination of yellow pectin + xanthan gum (0.2%) for better elasticity.

What type of fruit are you using for the filling? Some fruits, like strawberries or raspberries, may require acidity adjustments to achieve the ideal texture.

If you share the exact recipe you’re following, I’d be happy to help calculate the proper ratio for you.

Best regards!

[panagiotis Moysakis]

Hello and thank you for your reply. I’m using Antonio bachour’s recipe of mandarin gel for his orange Petit gataux and I want to replace the pectin NH with something cheaper

[Sussan Estela Olaya]

Hi Panagiotis Moysakis

That’s great that you’re making Chef Bachour’s recipe! It sounds delicious.

To substitute NH pectin with yellow pectin in your mandarin gel, you’ll need to make a slight adjustment in the quantity, as yellow pectin typically requires a bit more to achieve a similar texture.

Substitution Calculation:

The original recipe calls for 12 g of NH pectin, which is approximately 1% of the total weight.

For yellow pectin, you can slightly increase the dosage to 1.2% – 1.4% of the total weight.

If we take the total weight of the recipe (126+12+540+90+24 = 792 g), the calculation would be:

1.2% of 792 g = 9.5 g of yellow pectin (minimum recommended).

1.4% of 792 g = 11 g of yellow pectin (maximum recommended).

Important Notes:

Process: Mix the yellow pectin with the sugar before adding it to the hot purée to prevent clumping.

Gelification: Yellow pectin requires sufficient acidity to activate, but since the recipe already includes lemon juice, that shouldn’t be an issue.

The final gel will be slightly firmer and less elastic than with NH pectin, but it will work well as long as you don’t need to reheat the preparation later.

Hope this helps! If you try an intermediate amount and adjust to your preference, let us know how it goes.

Greetings.