Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Pectin strands need both to lock water into a gel. The figure is taken from Food and Agriculture Organization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a food fact?

Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

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The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Jam sets only with enough sugar and acid

Pectin strands need both to lock water into a gel

Pectin is a long carbohydrate molecule in fruit cell walls that forms a network when conditions are right. Sugar draws water away so the strands can approach one another, and acid lowers the pH so they bond rather than repel. Fruit low in pectin, such as strawberries, needs added pectin or a high-pectin fruit blended in.

Where this comes from

Food and Agriculture Organization

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Tags: jam, pectin, preserving

Jam sets only with enough sugar and acid: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Pectin strands need both to lock water into a gel. The figure is taken from Food and Agriculture Organization, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a food fact?: Yes. It sits on the Food shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.