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22

Nov-2019

Facts About Locust Bean Gum Market Everyone Should Know

The production of raw locust bean gum is mainly concentrated in the countries of the Mediterranean region, with Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain representing almost three-quarters of world production.

Introduction:

Locust bean gum is a polysaccharide extracted from the seeds of Ceratonia Siliqua (carob or carob). It has a similar chemical and structural similarity to guar gum. However, locust bean gum has quite different functional properties from guar gum. Unlike other hydrocolloids, it is only partially soluble in water at room temperature. Also, carob gum solutions do not form a gel on their own, but show a higher viscosity increase and form a gel when it is synergized with other types of hydrocolloids such as xanthan, kappa-carrageenan and agar. 

The carob tree produces pods containing hard seeds or brown beans. The pods are treated to separate the seeds, peel their skin, separate them and separate the grain from the endosperm. Locust bean gum powder is processed and refined to provide the required grade or particle size. As the carob tree is found mainly in the countries of the Mediterranean region, there is a high concentration of locust bean producers in the area, which is exported to world markets. Locust bean gum is widely used as a food additive and is also used in other sectors, such as pharmaceuticals and textiles.

Growth:

Locust bean gum is replacing the application of guar gum in the food and beverage industries because of its low price. This should be a critical factor in the growth of the world market for locust bean gum. In addition, the growing demand for prepared foods is also fueling demand for locust bean gum. Heavy lifestyles and changing eating habits are driving the growth of staple foods, increasing the demand for locust bean gum due to its increasing use as a thickening and gelling agent.

Dynamics:

Locust bean gum is widely used in the food and beverage industry, most often as a thickener, stabilizer and gelling agent, as well as an emulsifier. Locust bean gum is identified by the E410 emulsifier code worldwide. It is also an effective binder for water, which helps prevent the problem of syneresis in food products. Also, the highly synergistic effect it produces when used with additives such as carrageenan and xanthan to create stable gel systems has increased the demand for locust bean gum. The gels thus formed with the use of Locust Bean Gum find an application in the production of processed cheese, pet food, cream cheese and desserts. 

Locust bean gum prevents the formation of ice crystals and finds its application in the manufacture of ice cream as a stabilizing agent to retard the melting of ice cream. Given the nonionic nature of locust bean gum, it is suitable for use in a wide pH range and finds application in neutral and acidic systems. Locust bean gum, which is a chocolate-flavored polysaccharide, is also used to sweeten food products and replace chocolate. Besides, the fact that locust bean gum does not contain gluten has increased its demand for healthy foods. 

The organic origin of locust bean gum has also contributed to the growth of its demand as a natural food additive, as an alternative to artificial additives. The oil industry uses locust bean gum to thicken its finished products. In the textile and paper industry, locust bean gum is used as a finishing and thickening agent. The food industry will mainly drive the carob gum market.

Regional Outlook

The production of raw locust bean gum is mainly concentrated in the countries of the Mediterranean region, with Italy, Morocco, Portugal and Spain representing almost three-quarters of world production. However, consumer demand extends throughout the world, and end-users in the food, textiles, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and other sectors require locust bean gum for various applications. 

The Asia-Pacific region is expected to be a vital center of the demand for locust bean gum, given the large population in the area, the increasing use of food-reading products and the higher per capita purchasing capacity. The use of Locust Bean Gum as a gluten-free food additive has led to growing demand from developed economies in North America and Europe. China, India, Germany, United States, Western Europe, etc. They are among the leading regional markets for locust bean gum.

Production

Locust bean gum is a vegetable galactomannan gum extracted from carob seeds, native to the Mediterranean region and produced by Portugal, Italy, Spain and Morocco by almost 75% in 2016. The seeds in the long pods that grow on the tree are used to make this gum. First, the pods are crushed to separate the grain from the pulp. Then, the skins have their skin removed by acid treatment; The packaged seed is divided and ground gently. This causes dissociation of the fragile germ without affecting the more robust endosperm. The separated endosperm can then be ground to produce the final locust bean gum powder.

Chemistry

Locust bean gum is white to yellowish-white powder. It consists mainly of high molecular weight hydrocolloid polysaccharides composed of galactose and mannose units combined by glycosidic bonds, which can be chemically described as galactomannan. It is dispersible in cold or hot water, forming a sun with a pH between 5.4 and 7.0, which can become a gel by adding small amounts of sodium borate. The locust bean gum is composed of a linear chain of D-manopiranose units with a D-galactopyranose side-branching group that has an average unitary branching of D-galactopyranose in each fourth D. -mannopyranose unit.

Culinary science

The bean, when it turns into powder, is sweet, with a chocolate flavor, and is used to sweeten food and as a substitute for chocolate, although this carob powder is produced from the fruit pod after removal of the seeds, while the rubber is composed of the seeds themselves. It is also used in pet food and inedible products, such as mining products, papermaking and for thickening textiles. It is used in cosmetics and to improve the taste of cigarettes. Bitumen and insecticides also contain locust bean gum powder as an additive that is soluble in hot water.

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