Level: Scoolinary Team

Hi Iman!
Thank you for your question.
In the recipe you’re following, where it mentions a stabilizer mix with “fibra de cítricos,” it most likely refers to what’s known in English as citrus fiber a natural dietary fiber extracted from citrus fruits like lemons or oranges.

This ingredient is commonly used in gelato to:
Improve texture and creaminess
Enhance product stability
Reduce water separation (syneresis)
In some cases, help lower fat or sugar content without compromising structure

Is it the same as pectin?
Not exactly.

While both come from citrus:

Pectin is a soluble fiber with gelling power, often used in jams, jellies, and some ice creams (especially sorbets).
Citrus fiber, on the other hand, does not gel. It works as a natural thickener and provides body by absorbing water.

If you can’t find citrus fiber:
A reasonable substitute is low-methoxyl (LM) citrus pectin. This type of pectin works well in low-sugar environments or when calcium is present.
It won’t have exactly the same effect as citrus fiber, but it can still help improve structure and stability.

Suggested substitution for the stabilizer mix:
The original stabilizer mix in the recipe includes:

500 g citrus fiber
200 g guar gum
300 g locust bean gum

If citrus fiber is unavailable, you can try this adjusted version:
Adjusted stabilizer mix:
50 g LM citrus pectin
200 g guar gum
300 g locust bean gum

Pectin has a stronger gelling effect, so we suggest using only 10% of the original amount of citrus fiber.

Important Tip:
Before using it in a full recipe, we recommend preparing just a small test batch (e.g., 1/4 of the stabilizer recipe) to see how it behaves and what texture you get. This will help you make any necessary adjustments before scaling up.

Important:
For technical questions like this one, we recommend that for any future inquiries, you use our community forum:
https://www.scoolinary.com/forums/forum/askaquestion

That way, we can have a more organized and continuous conversation, and ensure that responses don’t get lost.

Best of luck with your gelato, Iman! Let us know if you need any further help. 😊