Can Pectin and Sure Gel™ be used interchangeably? What about gelatin?
Jackie Carattini (Wood County) shared question from a workshop participant. While they aren’t the same thing, it would be easy to confuse them. Sure Gel™ is corn starch, a large polysaccharide molecule extracted from corn, that has been modified so that the gel won’t break down on extended heating. The gel formed by regular corn starch will break down on canning. Pectin is also a polysaccharide, but it is a fiber source, an indigestible carbohydrate. As we know from making jam and jelly, pectin is also unstable on prolonged heating- which is why we cook jams or jellies only for 1 minute after adding pectin, and we process these products for such a short period of time in a boiling water canner. So pectin (liquid or powdered) is not interchangeable with Sure Gel™. Gelatin is very different since it is a protein and also not stable to heating because the protein will denature on heating. This can be rather confusing because all 3 products- Sure Gel™, pectin, and gelatin can form what we