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CONS

Locust bean gum and guar gum are high molecular weight galactomannans used by the food industry as food additives. The compounds, although closely related chemically, do not have the same functional properties when used in foods, and the substitution could change the desired qualities of the final product (Bourbon et al., 2010). The analytical discrimination between locust bean gum and guar gum is technically difficult. Both additives are high molecular weight galactomannans whose main chain consists of (1 → 4) linked β-d-mannose residues and the side chain of (1 → 6) linked α-d- galactose. The galactose : mannose ratio for locust bean gum is 1 :4, whereas the chemical ratio for guar gum is 1 :2.

Locust bean gum is obtained from carob bean (Ceratonia siliqua), a Mediterranean tree. This gum is soluble in water and does not form a gel. Locust bean gums do not form gels on their own and function by increasing viscosity, with maximum viscosity obtained at 95 °C.

GUAR, LOCUST BEAN, TARA, AND FENUGREEK GUMS

HELMUT MAIER, ... ROY L. WHISTLER, in Industrial Gums (Third Edition), 1993

Miscellaneous

Locust bean gum has been used in confectionery products, such as divinity, at about 0.12% to extend shelf life. The gelling interaction with xanthan has been used to form sheeted, fruit-flavored snack products. In freeze-dried vegetables such as celery, locust bean gum enhances the crispness of rehydrated products.144

It has been used with carrageenan to form air-freshener gels and in tobacco sheeting. In the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, locust bean gum has found use as a tablet excipient, toothpaste thickener, and lotion or cream stabilizer.

Locust bean gum (LBG), also known as carob gum, is structurally similar to guar gum.

\Use of Polymers and Thickeners in Semisolid and Liquid Formulations

Vitthal S. Kulkarni Ph.D., Charles Shaw Ph.D., in Essential Chemistry for Formulators of Semisolid and Liquid Dosages, 2016

5.6.1.8 Locust bean gum

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Locust bean gum is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the carob tree. It consists chiefly of high-molecular-weight hydrocolloidal polysaccharides, composed of galactose and mannose units combined through glycosidic linkages.

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Locust bean gum is dispersible in either hot or cold water, forming a sol having a pH between 5.4 and 7.0, which may be converted to a gel by the addition of small amounts of sodium borate.

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Thickening agent, gelling agent.

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In locust bean gum, the ratio of mannose to galactose is higher than in guar gum, giving it slightly different properties, and allowing the two gums to interact synergistically so that together they make a thicker gel than either one alone.

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Locust bean gum significantly improves gel strength and texture and prevents syneresis when used in combination with carrageenans.

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Its synergy with xanthan gum provides highly elastic gels with very limited syneresis [17] (Figure 5.11).

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Polysaccharide Ingredients

Kevin Philp, in Reference Module in Food Science, 2018

LBG – Locust Bean Gum

Source & production: Locust bean gum (LBG), also called carob bean gum, is extracted from the seed kernels of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua) which typically grows in Mediterranean countries. LBG plays a role as a food reserve and helps to retain water under arid conditions.

Ceratonia Siliqua Gum is a ground seed of the ripe fruit of St. Johns Bread, Ceratoniasiliqua.

SYNONYMS

● ALGAROBA

● CAROB BEAN EXTRACT; CAROB GUM; LOCUST BEAN OIL

● CAROB BEAN GUM

● CAROB FLOUR

● CAROB GUM

● CERATONIA

● CERATONIA SILIQUA (CAROB) GUM

● CERATONIA SILIQUA GUM

● GUM, CERATONIA SILIQUA

● GUM, LOCUST BEAN

● LOCUST BEAN (CERATONIA SILIQUA) GUM

● LOCUST BEAN GUM

● LOCUST GUM (CERATONIA SILIQUA L.)

● SAINT JOHN'S BREAD