TARA GUM

Application
Tara gum is has a strong synergism with other hydrocolloids and is often used in blends. It can be used in ice cream, cheese, dressings and sauces, sausage, bakery products, desserts, yoghurt, ready soups and baby food.

Chemistry
Tara gum (E 417) is the endosperm of the seeds of the tara tree (cesalpinia spinosa lin). The plant is native to South America where it grows as tree or bush.

Like guar gum and carob bean gum, tara gum is a galactomannan, comprising approximately 25% of galactose (for comparison, guar gum contains about 34%, carob bean gum about 20% of galactose)

Properties
Tara is similar to guar in being readily soluble. It also hydrates very rapidly to produce highly viscous solutions. Upon heating, tara shows a viscosity drop similar to guar and most other hydrocolloids, which is completely reversible provided heating temperatures are not excessively high. With moderate heating, tara drops in viscosity slightly more than guar while locust bean shows a rise in viscosity due to increased hydration. At 80oC, tara shows slightly higher viscosity and, with cooling, provides significantly higher viscosity than either guar or locust bean gum.

Tara, like locust bean and, to a lesser extent, guar, shows strong interaction or synergism with certain other gums, notably xanthan, the carrageenans and agar. This synergy takes the form of producing strong gels when individual components are non-gelling or can result in more subtle effects such as shorter flow characteristics, better mouth feel or enhanced suspending ability.

The HWL Gum Selector
To determine which hydrocolloid/s are right for your application/product, use our Quick and Easy Gum Selector.

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