Application of Cassia Gum Powder in Beverages

Cassia gum powder is extracted from the endosperms of the seeds of Senna obtusifolia and Senna Tora. They are also known as Cassia obtusifolia & Cassia tora respectively. Cassia gum comprises at least 75% polysaccharide with the mainly composed of galactomannan. It has a mannose: galactose ratio of 5:1 that results in a higher molecular mass.

The colour of cassia gum powder is off-white and odorless in nature. Its structure imparts it several properties that make it suitable for application in numerous industries. The cassia tora plant also consists of around 1-2% cassia oil that imparts a spicy aroma and improves the food taste.

Properties of Cassia Powder

Cassia powder comprises of 75% polysaccharides by weight. This makes it highly soluble in hot water to form a full stable viscous gel. It thus finds application in industries to be used as emulsifiers, thickeners, and stabilizer additives. Cassia gum powder is used extensively preferred for use in the food industry. It is used as an additive for human feed as well as pet and cattle feed products. The cassia seedling constitutes of resins, sugars, tannins, gums, mucilage, oils, and cinnamaldehyde that makes the cassia powder a very natural choice for its use as food additives. Additionally, it is also used as pesticides, since it is a natural ingredient. The cassis powder, therefore, is used as an additive in pet food and cattle feed products as well as the powder does not cause any toxic effects on the animals. It is considered safe to be used for both animal feed and human food thickening.

cassia gum powderCassia Powder in Beverages

Cassia powder is the most preferred natural ingredient in the food industry. It is used as a thickener, foam stabilizer, and water retention agent for making different beverages. It is also used as a food additive in making cheese, frozen dairy desserts, meats, and poultry products. The seeds of cassia have several health benefits in them. For long, cassia gum powder has been preferred for ayurvedic applications for the treatment of several diseases. Cassia seed along with haw, pollen, honey, and jasmine are utilized in preparing the healthy beverage. It helps in lowering the blood fat & blood pressure and exhibits curing effect for diseases, like photophobia, constipation, cerebral vascular sclerosis, neurasthenia, gastroenteritis disorder, climacteric syndromes, prostatitis, etc.

Additionally, the bark of cassia induces hot taste and is thus preferred in winters to make the body warm. Cassia tora tea is prepared from the cassia seeds and is in high demand in Korea. A health drink made from cassia seed holds great medical importance in China. The preparation of this drink involves a series of procedures, like impurity removing, toasting, peeling, and powdering. It is made sure that the concentration of the main component of this drink, i.e. Cassia seed, is kept high in order to have a greater utilization ratio. This drink can be considered for long-term consumption and has no side effect.


The Bottom Line:

The structure of cassia gum powder imparts it several benefits that make it suitable for various industrial applications. Cassia gum has several health benefits and is used in the preparation of beverages that have great nutritional advantages. The fact that the cassia powder is a great thickening, foam stabilizing and water retention agent highlights its importance as an ingredient in the preparation of numerous beverages.

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Application of Guar Gum Powder in Making Kefir

Guar gum, chemically, is an exo-polysaccharide that is composed of the sugars- galactose and mannose. The backbone of the structure is a linear chain comprising of β 1,4-linked mannose residues to which galactose residues are 1,6-linked at every second mannose. As a result, they form short side-branches. Guar gum has the ability to withstand high temperatures of 800c for around five minutes. The presence of extra galactose points makes the guar gum more soluble in water. There are a number of other properties of guar gum powder that makes it suitable for wide industrial applications. Guar gum is used in the food industry, textile industry, paper industry, explosives industry, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics & toiletries industries, hydraulic fracturing.

What is Kefir?

Kefir is a type of fermented milk drink, which is quite similar to yogurt. It first originated in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and Russia, and was prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep milk with kefir grains. The grains of kefir are fermented overnight at ambient temperatures that yields sour, carbonated, and slightly alcoholic beverage having taste & consistency similar to yogurt. It contains a symbiotic culture of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts embedded in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides. This pattern resembles that of small cauliflower grains and is formed due to the result of microbial activity.

During the fermentation of kefir grains, the ingredient composition changes. Lactose or the sugar present in the milk is converted into lactic acid by the bacteria causing acidification of the product. This lactic acid is further broken into propionic acid. Other compounds that play a major role in flavor addition of kefir are pyruvic acid, acetic acid, diacetyl, acetoin, citric acid, acetaldehyde, and amino acids.

guar gum powderGuar Gum Powder in Kefir

Guar gum powder is used as an additive in making kefir. It is an important component for making dairy products. It is used in making cheese and improves its texture and tenderness. Guar gum powder also adds a mouthfeel to the dairy products and hence is widely preferred in the industry.

Guar gum powder is used in kefir as a thickening agent. Apart from kefir, it is preferred as a thickener in milk, yogurt, and liquid cheese products and help to maintain the homogeneity & texture of ice-creams. The structure of guar gum imparts it a number of properties that makes it suitable for numerous applications as gelling, viscosifying, thickening, clouding, and binding agent.

How to Make Kefir?

The first step of making coconut milk kefir includes mixing of kefir grains in the coconut milk and stirring it with a non-metal spoon. Then, cover the mixture with a coffee filter or a cloth and secure it by a rubber band. It is then cultured at room temperature, between the range of 68°-85°F. Guar gum powder is added before the solution is kept for culture in place of other additives and sweeteners as they can be hard on the kefir grains. Start checking the condition of culture after 12 hours. Once the coconut kefir has achieved the required consistency remove the milk kefir grains from it.

The Bottom Line: Guar gum powder is the most preferred additive in making Kefir. It is used as a thickening agent and should be added to the solution (before being kept for culture) in place of other additives and sweeteners who have the tendency to be hard on kefir grains. Guar gum has the ability to be used as a gelling, viscosifying, thickening, clouding, and binding agent in numerous industries.

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Global Hydrocolloid Market in the Food Industry

Hydrocolloid is a substance that creates a gel by making use of water. It has several applications in many industries like food processing industry. Hydrocolloids are very popular and are a wafer type dressing with agents that form a gel in an adhesive compound. It is a heterogeneous group of long-chain polymers that has the ability to modify the rheology of food systems. It affects the viscosity (flow behaviour) and texture (mechanical solid property).

There has been a rise in demand for hydrocolloid market which is mainly due to the processed food industry. Several statistics suggest that the hydrocolloid market will reach $108.5 billion by 2020. There are many applications in several other industries like pharmaceutical, mining, tobacco, textile, oil drilling, and more.

Importance of Hydrocolloid

Cassia Gum Powder is comparatively new food hydrocolloids. Caesalphiniacease is a wild crop found in several parts of the Indian Subcontinent and is useful to produce cassia gum powder. It is also found in several other regions like China, Indonesia. It is useful as a thickening agent, emulsifier & texturizer and has several applications in many different industries.

There are many applications for Hydrocolloids including that for medical treatment. A dressing created with the help of hydrocolloids has an ability to provide an optimal healing environment. The fact that it is moist and insulating is an added advantage. If a wound is free from infection, the use of hydrocolloids is very useful; since it allows the enzymes of the body itself to heal a wound. Some of the popular properties of hydrocolloids include:

  • Waterproof backing
  • Consists of gel-forming agents
  • It is available in several shapes and sizes.
  • There is an adhesive border which is optional.

It also has several applications in the food industry besides the medical industry. Some of the popular hydrocolloids are Guar Gum Powder and Cassia Gum Powder. The popular applications of hydrocolloids in the food industry include use as a food additive and health promoter. It has several useful properties that are vital to the food industry.

  • Thickener
  • Gelling Agent
  • Fat Replacer
  • Emulsifier
  • Clarifying Agent
  • Whining Agent
  • Flocculating Agent
  • Clouding Agent

 Hydrocolloids in the Food Industry

Demand for Cassia Gum Powder

The global market for food stabilizer has been growing and is likely to grow further. In fact, as per several statistics, it grows at a CAGR of 4% by 2020. Ready to eat or processed food is becoming more popular and the growth of the global hydrocolloid market is likely to increase  demand for such convenient food. The food market in India and China are the main targets for such food items due to rapid urbanization and number more of working women.

Here are several statistics and facts that help understand the rise in demand for hydrocolloids:

  • Hydrocolloids market has estimated to account for 8.8 Billion USD in 2018.
  • It is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.3% between 2018 & 2023 and reach a value of 11.4 Billion USD by 2023.
  • Hydrocolloids are increasing in demand due to the rise in demand for convenience food.
  • The change in lifestyle and eating habits of consumers across the globe is contributing to increase in demand of hydrocolloids.
  • The people are becoming more conscious about their diet and nutrition hence this too has been a contributing factor.
  • Although, food & beverages sector is the fastest growing segment that has resulted in  high demand for hydrocolloids, there are several other sectors that have also contributed. This includes cosmetics & personal care products and pharmaceutical industry as well.
  • Some of the common food products that have contributed to the increase in demand are dairy products, confectionery, meat & poultry products, beverages, bakery items, sauces and dresses.
  • The main application in food products is as in the form of an emulsifier, fat replacer, gelling agent and stabilizer.
  • There is a steady increase in demand since 2016 and it is expected to grow rapidly till 2023. This rise is global and includes countries in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific.

Thus, the global hydrocolloid market is on the rise and it is mainly due to the food industry. This trend is likely to continue into the future thus increasing the demand for hydrocolloids like Cassia Gum Powder.

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