DESCRIPTION

Locust (Carob) Bean Gum occurs as a white to yellow-white powder. It is obtained from the ground endosperms of Ceratonia siliqua (L.) Taub. (Fam. Leguminosae). It consists chiefly of a high-molecular-weight hydrocolloidal polysaccharide, composed of galactose and mannose units combined through glycosidic linkages, which may be described chemically as a galactomannan. It 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.