Locust Bean Gum Powder For Food And Pet Food Application

Locust Gum is a variant of Galactomannan extracted from the carob tree. The seeds of this plant are dried to make a powder to be known as the Locust Gum Powder.  Its alias is carob gum. The Carob or Ceratonia siliqua is a shrub belonging to the class of legumes and Fabaceae family. It is one of the ornamental trees commonly grown in gardens and landscapes. Natively, the Mediterranean region and the Middle East are known to be the home of this species. Carob is also believed to replace the cocoa powder, hence is used as an alternate in chocolate bars and other healthy snacks. Besides being fit for human consumption, it is equally fit for consumption among pets.

locust-bean-gum-powder

Application in Food and Pet Food Industry

Food Industry

As per the guidelines issued by the European Commission, an evaluation of the safety of locust bean gum powder as food additives has been conducted and has been authorized under the E410 category. However, it has been in use since 1991 in weaning food, infant formula, and other medical purposes. The locust bean gum acts as a hydrocolloid, Hydrocolloid is a substance that keeps water molecules stick together. This cohesive property makes it useful in thickening and gelling process during food processing. Frequent application of this powder can be observed in salad dressing, making bread, sauces, meat products, etc. It can be advised to use in making candies because of its chewy nature.

The dairy industry has been tremendously exploited by every country in terms of frozen products. Because of freezing, there are chances that fat present in the milk or likewise product may get lost in the process. The freezing and thawing method have thus been incorporated to prevent any fat loss and maintain the texture, taste and overall integrity of the product. Locust bean gum powder has proved invaluable for performing the freeze-thaw mechanism. Not only this, but it also benefits the production by stabilizing the food by promoting non crystallization of sugar, thereby producing a light and low fat frozen products.

This thickening agent can also be used to make gels from the fruits. Locust bean gum is used in small quantities like 0.15 to 0.30% of the total mass.

Pet Food Industry

This industry chooses this gum powder as a binding agent for pet foods. The pet food industry has been blooming since world war II. Earlier there was awe for Canned foods for dogs that used to contain horse meat. However, biscuits too are available but sole biscuits can be enough for their survival. So the pet food also includes meat meals like damaged carcass, sausages, poultry, seafood, etc. Little amount of liquid ingredients along with salt, preservatives, stabilizers and gelling agent. Locust bean gum powder acts as a good binding agent which allows improved homogeneity and traps the moisture.

Locust bean gum powder has been thus used for years in food industries.

The Conclusion

Altrafine Gums, a company which expertise in natural gums, has been fulfilling the demand for natural gums and derivatives for the last three decades. The company has domestic as well as international clientele and has been the brand for authenticity.

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Difference between Locust Bean Gum Powder and Guar Gum Powder

Locust Bean Gum Powder and Guar Gum Powder are been used in industries. This gum powder is used as a natural food additive, thickening agents in different industries. Moreover, they differ from each other with their properties as well as functionalities. But on the contrary, they have some significant health benefits as well. Let’s have a look at some of about the difference between locust bean gum powder and guar gum powder, an intriguing yet often overlooked ingredient.

guar gum powder from indiaLocust Bean Gum

Following shows the difference between locust bean gum powder and guar gum powder –

  • Locust gum powder is best known for its thickening agent and is also known as carob bean gum, carob gum and carobin, that comes from the seeds of the carob tree whereas guar gum also known as guaran comes from the seed of the guar plant, Cyanaposis tetragonolobus, family Leguminosae.
  • Comparatively, locust bean gum powder is hot soluble whereas guar gum powder is cold soluble.
  • The main difference between these gums is the dosage to achieve the same viscosity. Higher dosage for viscosity is used for locust bean gum powder as compared to guar gum powder.
  • LBG is only slightly soluble in room temperature water as compared to guar gum powder.
  • Other difference shows that LBG does not gel on its own but forms a gel with other hydrocolloids as compared to guar gum powder
  • Bot gums are the polysaccharide, where guar gum is compost of linear D-mannose units joined by 1, 4-β-glycosidic linkages whereas LBG is composed of galactose and mannose units combined through glycosidic linkages.
  • The ratio of galactose to mannose to in LBG is higher as compared to guar gum powder with different properties. The ratio for locust bean gum is 1:4, whereas the chemical ratio for guar gum is 1:2.
  • The pH value for guar gum powder ranges from 1.0–10.5 whereas for LBD the pH value ranges from 5.4 and 7.0
  • Synergistic interact of guar gum with xanthan gum gives higher viscosity than  individual gum, whereas hot solutions of LBG with xanthan gum forms a strong elastic gel on cooling
  • Chemical structure of the gums varies as guar gum has a higher degree of galactose side chain than LBG.

This is how locust bean gum powder differs from guar gum powder. Along with this, these gum powders also have some of the similar uses as well as properties. Both the gum powders as used as thickening agents, food additives in food industries including other industries like the textile industry, chemical industry and many more industries.  They are also having with some of the health benefits.

Altrafine Gums is one of the leading exporters for providing high-quality gum powder that is been used in different industries. Along with guar gum powder, locust bean powder we also export different products that include cassia gum powder, fast hydration guar gum powder, sesbania gum powder, Psyllium husk & powder, animal feed products and many more products. Contact us today for other products and get acquainted of with the gum powder that is been used in different industries.

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Natural vs. Synthetic Hydrocolloids and Industry Preferences

Hydrocolloids are water soluble and dispersible polysaccharides that are also referred to as food gums. The products also produce viscous dispersions called gels. In usage they basically bind/ hold water, improve texture of products, stabilize emulsions and form films as well as product coatings.

Natural Hydrocolloids
They are derived from plants and animals and they include;

Galactomanans
They have a mannose backbone linked to galactose side groups. The ratio of the galactose to mannose varies from 0.3 in carob to 0.6 in guaran to 0.9 in the fenugreek gum powder.

The guar gum powder is mainly produced in India and Pakistan and extracted from the seed endosperm. It hydrates rapidly in water to give a viscous solution that has a neutral PH. It is widely used in many industries due to these properties.

Locust Bean Gum
The plants also grow widely in the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions. It is also a galactomanans with the ratio of mannose to galactose being at 4:1. The side chains in this case are never uniformly distributed with some sections of the formula being referred to as hairy while others are bare of the side chains.  It is also widely used in the food processing such as ice creams, cheese products, meat products and chocolate products.

Locust Bean Gum

Gum Arabic
Harvested from trees and mostly occurring in the semiarid areas of Africa. It is also widely used in food industries such as candies, baked goods to reduce moisture absorption, frozen desserts and also flavor fixation.

Non-Plant Natural Hydrocolloids
Other in the same group includes the fenugreek gum and carrageenan gum.

Kappa carrageenan

Alginate; sourced from the brown algae and has applications in the food industry such as salad dressings, meringues and bakery icings. They are considered more expensive than the plant based hydrocolloids.

Synthetic Hydrocolloids
These are basically derived from chemical combinations to give a product with similar structure to the natural polysaccharides.

Semi synthetic hydrocolloids are more preferred compared to the purely synthetic gums. They include the starch derivatives such as the hetastarch, starch acetate and starch phosphates. Cellulose derivatives include; carbxy-methyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), and microcrystalline cellulose.

Research has shown that the synthetic hydrocolloids are far less inefficient and have certain inherent disadvantages such as;

  • High cost
  • Toxicity to body and other animal life
  • Environmental pollution during the manufacturing process
  • Non renewable sources
  • Some have acute and chronic adverse effects on the skin
  • Poor biocompatibility compared to the natural gums

Advantages of Natural Gums
The natural gums are the most preferred in all the industries due to various reasons.

  • Bio degradable; they are renewable sources which are easily bio degradable.
  • Bio compatible and non-toxic
  • Low cost and easily available in nature, they are also easier to extract.
  • They have more public acceptance due to their numerous health benefits and they are also extracted from edible sources.
  • In pharmaceutical applications, there is less chance of side effects to patients compared to synthetic

With all these advantages, the natural hydrocolloids are gradually replacing synthetic gums in industrial applications.

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Find Out the Multiple Properties of Locust Bean Gum Powder and How They Stay Significant for Industrial Applications

Origin of Locust Bean Gum Powder

Locust or carob bean gum is extracted by processing the endosperm of the catatonia siliqua bean seeds. This bean tree is highly found in Mediterranean parts. These bean seeds are processed into granules for the polysaccharides they possess.

Processing Methods Applied to Extract Locust Gum Powder

The endosperm of locust bean seeds are separated from the seeds through the process called dehusking. It involves removal of the tough seed coating and the dehusked seeds are then processed through various mechanisms to obtain the final endosperm in powder format.

1

Multiple Properties of Locust Bean Powder

Locust bean granule is applied in various industries for the multiple properties it possess such as solubility in water and viscosity.  As far as blending compatibility is concerned, carob gum powder can easily blend with milk proteins and carbohydrates as well.

Industrial Utilities of Locust Bean Gum Granule

Locust gum extract is applied in wide range of industries. Its solubility and viscosity makes it suitable for core industrial activities and its blending compatibility suits for application in food industry.

2

List of Food Production Applications with Locust Gum

For greater softness and smooth texture locust bean gum granule stays a suitable ingredient; hence, bakeries found reliable application of locust granule. Similarly, instant food preparations like soups, frozen butter, sausages and creams can be produced with good stability with the help of locust bean gum powder.

For what reasons Tobacco and Paper Industry Prefer Locust Granule

Carob gum granule is applied as an additive in paper industry with which better sheet quality is obtained. When mixed with tobacco granules locust granules obtain the same flavor and this by product is applied to produce cigarettes sheets.

The Specific Chemical Characteristic of Locust Gum Powder Helps to Decide over Industrial Applications

When combined with other gum products, locust um powder can form into elastic gels. This method is then applied to increase the stability and elasticity of other gum powders such as kappa carrageenan and agar agar as well.

Types of Recommended Preservatives used in Processing Locust Gum Granule

Preserving the granules until it reaches the application end is more important. Though preservatives like benzoic acid, sodium propionate and propyl parahydroxybenzoate are usually added to keep the granule free from bacterial growth, yet it is recommended to check the percentage of preservative before investing.

How to fix a locust bean gum powder supplier?

Indian market leads the role in processing and supplying bean seed gum powder. However, choosing an experience company who strictly adhere to the regulations in manufacturing, packaging and supplying aspects will stay a safe option. Altrafine is one of the leading companies who produce as well as export quality food grade and industrial grade bean gum powder.

Conclusion

Locust bean gum powder is applied in wide range of industries. Unlike other gum powder varieties that are mainly applied in food industry, gum granule of locust bean is in large demand worldwide for its multiple properties. Altrafine offers pure quality of locust gum granule and leads the market in supplying excellent grade of gum granules for industrial utilities.

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.

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