Gums or hydrocolloids

History of gums

The use of gums in the food industry was first introduced by the Chinese in the 14th century. They coated citrus surfaces with wax to increase durability. Later in the 1950s, carob gum was used to coat citrus fruits and vegetables (Alias, 1991).

The term gum includes all polysaccharides derived from plants, seaweed, microbial sources, and plant secretions that have been modified by biopolymers prepared by the chemical reaction of cellulose (Glicksman, 1969).

Introducing gums

Gums are a large group of polysaccharides characterized by their ability to produce high viscosity products at low concentrations. The first time they were separated from polysaccharides, their solution was lysine and was therefore called gum.

Gums are widely used in the food industry to make gels and as stabilizers and suspensions. Gums come from a variety of sources, including secretory gums, algal gums, seeds, microbes, starch derivatives, and cellulose. Gums contain hydrophilic molecules so they can combine with water to form viscous solutions or gels. The nature of the molecules greatly affects the properties of the gums. Linear polysaccharide molecules take up more space and are more viscous than branching molecules with the same molecular weight (Belitz and Grosch, 1999).

Application of gums in food processing

Today, gums are widely used in the food industry so that they are effective in improving the rheological properties, food texture and colloidal systems. Gums are food polymers that are mostly carbohydrates and to a lesser extent protein and are extracted from various sources. The table below shows the classification of different types of gums based on their source.

Gums can absorb large amounts of water, thereby creating functional properties in food systems, the most important of which are:

1- As a thickener, which in this case increases the consistency or viscosity.

2- As a gel

3- As a distributor in food suspensions

4- As an inhibitor of oil absorption

5- As an emulsifier

6- As a component of film and food coatings

7- As a water absorber and stale delay (Davidou et al., 1996).

Distribution table of gum types based on their source of production (Alias ​​and Linden, 1991)

Types of gums

Guar Gum Seeds, Locust Beans
Gums from the plant plants carrageenan, alginate and forselran
Gums from the extract and juice of pectin plants, tragacanth (tragacanth)
Microbial gums of dextran, xanthan and gelan
Synthetic gums CMC, MC, HPMC

Gums in low concentrations create good consistency in solutions. Gums also play a role in improving the quality of bakery products due to their high water holding capacity. They are also used as a fat substitute. In addition, gums are able to repair most of the brain tissue in bakery products. This feature occurs by preventing the formation of a bond between gluten and starch (Fatemi, 2004).

Xanthan gum

Xanthan gum is an extracellular sugar produced by different species of xanthomonas. Xanthan gum is the first new generation of extracellular polysaccharides in biotechnology

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It is produced by several microorganisms such as the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.

Xanthan gum is a microbial polysaccharide that dissolves in hot and cold water and has a plastic-like flow and extremely stable viscosity at pH and high temperatures. It is also resistant to enzymatic degradation, and although xanthan solutions are gel-like, they are easily soluble and show little resistance to mixing.

Xanthan gum was first discovered in 1960 before it was commercialized in 1970. Today, its annual sales volume is approximately 4600 tons. The use of xanthan gum in food and non-food products is almost the same.

It is used in food in sauces, condiments, baked goods, syrups, soft drinks, desserts and ice cream (Cato et a, 2004).

Production of xanthan gum

Xanthan gum is produced on the surface of the cell wall by the bacterium “X.campestris”. The sterile culture medium should contain carbohydrates, a source of nitrogen, sulfate, magnesium and other minerals. During carbohydrate fermentation, pure microbial culture is produced and then purified with alcohol and finally dried after drying.

Xanthan is hydrated by mixing with water to produce viscous solutions with high concentrations.

The rheological properties of xanthan give the gum a good taste quality with a good mouthfeel and a pleasant release of taste in the mouth. Xanthan solutions also produce the same viscosity in different temperature ranges with good thermal stability.

Xanthan shows good solubility and stability under both acidic and alkaline conditions. In addition, this gum, along with salt and its resistance to common enzymes, has made it one of the best food polymers.

(Rosell et al., 2001).

Properties of xanthan gum

Xanthan is a creamy white powder that is soluble in both hot and cold water and can produce high viscosity solutions at low concentrations.

The economic importance of xanthan relies on its ability to control the rheological properties of aquatic systems