Pectin is becoming increasingly popular as an effective additive in food industry because of its gelling, stabilizing, thickening and emulsifying properties. From the entire production of apple across the world about 71 per cent of apple is consumed as fresh apple while about 25-29 per cent is transformed into value -added products of which 65 per cent are processed into apple juice concentrate (AJC) and the balance quantity into other products which include packed natural ready-to-serve (RTS) apple juice, apple cider, wine and vermouth, apple purees, jams and dried apple products etc. The conventional processing of this fruit for juice, cider and concentrate preparation removes 75 per cent of fresh weight as juice and remaining 25 per cent as solid waste, known as apple pomace that is considered to be rich source of sugars (17.35%), pectin (16.95%) and  crude fibre (16.16%) with a very high biological oxygen demand i.e. 240 -19000 mg/l . Apple pomace could also be utilized directly as animal feed or for the extraction of value-added products like pectin. Acids, alkalines and enzymes treatments have been employed to extract pectin from various sources, but pectin isolation is mainly predominated by the conventional acid hydrolysis of plant raw material and extraction with pectolytic enzymes. Pectins are industrially obtained from apple pomace and citrus peels in a chemical way with strong acids such as oxalic, hydrochloric, nitric and sulphuric acids which are regarded as conventional acid extraction methods. Enzymatic extraction has been conducted with polygalacturonase, hemicellulose and cellulase, protease and microbial mixed enzymes. Also, a number of methods have been used to extract pectin like ultrasonic, autoclave, microwave and extrusion assisted treatments from agricultural by -products such as apple pomace, sugar beet pulp and orange peels. The commercial production of apple fiber powder from the pomace after extraction of juice has been practiced by certain companies in abroad (Tree Top Inc, Selah, W.A.), However, in India technology for extraction   of   pectin on commercial scale from apple pomace is yet to be developed.  The present reviews critically analyse the Extraction, Characterization and Applications of pectin obtained from apple pomace.

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