| Provisco AG | |
| Waldkircherstrasse 7 | |
| CH-9213 Hauptwil, Switzerland | |
| Phone: | +41 71 422 66 55 |
| Fax: | +41 71 422 66 56 |
Tara Gum
Sources and Extraction
In Europe, tara gum is being used as food additive for many years. It is obtained from grinding the endosperm of the seeds of the tara bush (Caesalpinia spinosum) which is native to Peru. Tara gum is a white to yellowish-white powder.
Properties
Composition
Tara gum is a galactomannan with a structure similar to locust bean gum. The main differences appear in the ratio of galactose to mannose units, the degree of substitution of the side chain units and the molecular weight.
In solutions, tara gum shows many characteristics similar to guar and locust bean gum. Compared to locust bean gum, tara gum has a higher viscosity at the same concentration. Like guar, tara gum is cold-water-soluble and within several minutes attains maximum viscosity in water, milk and other low-solid systems. Similar to locust bean gum, tara gum acts synergistically with kappa-carrageenan and xanthan by increasing the gel strength and reducing the susceptibility to syneresis.
Application properties
Tara gum offers many advantages for the production of a wide range of non-fat and low-fat foods including the application in frozen desserts, improved dairy products, condiments, bakery products and salad dressings.
Food producers may benefit from the following advantages by using tara gum:
- cold-water solubility and viscosity at 23 – 30° C (unlike locust bean gum)
- outstanding heat-shock resistance (superior to locust bean gum)
- imparts a rich, buttery mouth-feel.
- requires usage levels of 30 to 25 percent lower than locust bean gum
- resists loss in viscosity during high shear.
The dosage normally is less than 1% calculated in proportion to the total quantity.
The application of tara gum in formulations that enable „less than 2 percent“ labeling provides flexibility with the use of tara/locust bean gum combinations, without the expense of multiple label stocks.
Several stabilizer blends that contain tara gum and other ingredients are available for dairy products and fruit applications.
Please consult the laws and regulations valid for the food industry in your country before using our stabilizers, thickeners and binders.