Hydrocolloids:
Stabilisers, Thickeners and Gelling Agents > LBG (LOCUST
BEAN GUM)
LOCUST BEAN GUM (LBG)
Application
LBG is used as a thickener in salad dressings
and sauces, as an agent in ice cream that prevents ice crystals
from forming, and as a fat substitute.
In pastry fillings, it prevents "weeping" (syneresis)
of the water in the filling, keeping the pastry crust crisp.
It has a very high viscosity (thickness) even when very
little is used.
| APPLICATION |
FUNCTION |
| Ice Cream |
Ice crystal and Viscosity control. Fat mimetic. |
| Cream cheese |
Speeds up coagulation, Improved moisture binding and
texture. |
| Baked goods |
Improved yield and extension of shelf life. |
| Pastry fillings |
Viscosity and syneresis control. |
| Soups, sauces and marinades |
Viscosity control. |
| Meringues |
Stabilisation and syneresis prevention. |
Chemistry
Locust bean gum (LBG) (E410)
is a polysaccharide (a long chain made of sugars) comprised
of galactose and
mannose
units.
Some other familiar polysaccharides are starch and cellulose,
which are made of long chains of the sugar glucose.
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.
Locust bean gum is extracted from the endosperm of the seeds
of the carob tree Ceretonia siliqua, which grows in Mediterranean
countries.
Properties
Dispersions of Locust bean gum are relatively
stable to acid and electrolytes, however they are unstable
to retorting and freezing. The addition of 10-20% sugar
gives much better stability during retorting. Similarly,
the addition of 10-20% sugar alters the appearance of the
frozen and thawed material from a spongy gel to a long,
semi-gelled material with no syneresis.
Although under normal circumstances, Locust
bean gum does not gel by itself, it imparts elacticity to
agar and Kappa carrageenan gels and will form a gel when
mixed with Xanthan gum.
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