Truly Sugarless Jelly

Pomona's Universal Pectin gels regardless of the sugar concentration in the jam or jelly requiring only the calcium naturally present in most fruit to set firmly. A small packet of food grade monocalcium phosphate comes in each box for use with low calcium fruits. Monocalcium phosphate is used as a yeast nutrient in baking and acidulant in baking powder, and as a mineral supplement.

Now jam and jelly makers can easily and successfully make low and no sugar fruit spreads that are thick, healthful and delicious. Pomona's Pectin firmly gels fruit products sweetened with any amount of honey, sugar, fruit juice or artificial sweetener. It works equally well with 100 percent unsweetened fruit or juice.

Pomona's Pectin can be used in a number of applications: cooked jams and jellies, uncooked 'freezer' jams and jellies, aspics, jelled milk puddings, chilled pie fillings and as a vegetarian gelation substitute. It gels fresh, frozen or canned fruit and juice.

Many jam and jelly makers have been frustrated by the pectins generally available. These pectins do not work without a 55 percent or higher sugar concentration and they are not pure products.

Some large manufacturers have introduced pectin products that require less sugar but they contain undesirable additives. All pectins available today, EXCEPT POMONA'S PECTIN, have sugar as one of the ingredients and many have preservatives as well. People today are concerned about product purity. Pomona's Universal Pectin is 100 percent pure citrus pectin powder.

Because Pomona's Pectin does not have the sugar normally added by manufacturers for the purpose of gel strength standardization (the strength is standardized by blending pectin with pectin); it is more concentrated. A 1 ounce box will gel 20 cups of fruit. A box of ordinary pectin will only gel 3-5 cups of fruit with about an equal amount of sugar. Therefore, a box of Pomona's gels 4 times as much fruit and twice as much finished product. That's both economy and healthful eating.

Pomona's Universal Pectin is derived from the peel and pulp of lemon and lime, and to a minor extent orange and grapefruit. Citrus peel is a by-product from juice and oil pressing and contains a high proportion of pectin.

The pectin is extracted using hot, acidified water and then precipitated out of solution with alcohol. Some amide groups are then introduced into the pectin molecule during the process of de-esterification (a process by which the pectin is changed from high-methoxyl to low-methoxyl). High-methoxyl pectin requires a sugar concentration above 55 percent to gel whereas low-methoxyl pectin gels in the presence of calcium ions.

This calcium sensitive, amidated, low-methoxyl pectin is packaged under the name Pomona's Universal Pectin. Each 1 ounce box includes thorough instructions and easy to follow recipes. Each 1 ounce box makes 2 - 4 recipes. Although LM (low-methoxyl) pectin has been known to industry for some time, Pomona's Universal Brand finally put it on the retail shelves in health food stores. Pomona's Universal Pectin is not recommended as a dietary supplement. Pomona's Universal Pectin can be ordered directly from:

Pomona Universal Pectin
c/o Workstead Industry
P. O. Box 1083
Greenfield, Massachusetts (MA) 01302
(Telephone and Hotline: 413-772-6816)

Up to 5 of the 1 ounce boxes costs $3.50 each (handling and packaging included). Orders of 5 or more boxes costs $3.25 each. Quantity orders are cheaper. Make checks payable to Workstead Industry.