PHILADELPHIA — The FMC Corp. has entered into an agreement to acquire Pectine Italia S.p.A., a manufacturer of pectin for the food ingredients market. Pectine Italia produces pectin primarily sourced from lemon peels. The company has manufacturing facilities in Sicily.

“Pectin has a very positive consumer image and unique functionality that has helped it grow globally in recent years,” said Mike Smith, division manager, FMC BioPolymer.  “It is particularly well suited for low-pH applications and our technical teams already work regularly with pectin. FMC BioPolymer’s global resources, technical service and more than 65 years of product development, coupled with Pectine Italia’s pectin processing knowledge, will allow us to grow a new platform as an industry-leading pectin supplier.”

Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close in the third quarter, were not disclosed.