Tara gum is essentially a “natural” product because it comes from a plant that grows in South America called Caesalpinia spinosa lin. Also known as the tara tree, which can grow as a shrub or tree. It is also found in Morocco and East Africa. Tara gum is produced by milling seed endosperm by mechanical methods.
Tara gum has been approved as a thickener for use in many products. Some of these are dairy products such as cheese, cream and ice cream, but can also be added to other foods such as pickles, baked goods, cereals, mustard, dried fruits and vegetables, soups and more.
Chemical properties
Tara gum is a galactomannan, structurally similar to guar gum and gum, is a white to yellowish powder that is soluble in hot water and sparingly soluble in cold water.
Chemically, it consists of polysaccharides, predominantly galactomannans, with a high molecular weight.
Tara gum can replace carrageenan and xanthan gum up to 50% and shows synergistic effects with other gums such as agar-agar, carboxymethyl cellulose and modified starch.
E417 is soluble in solution and reaches maximum viscosity in water, milk and other low solids systems within minutes.
Similar to bean gum, it works synergistically with carrageenan and xanthan gum to increase gel strength and make such gels less prone to spontaneous shrinkage and shrinkage.
Usage and application
At the moment, tare gum is being used more and more. Increasing demand for low-calorie food products increases its demand around the world.
The rising price of guar gum has been seen to be the main factor responsible for the growth of the global tara gum market as it has been accepted as a possible replacement for guar gum.
Stronger demand for gum containers in the baby food segment is also expected to boost the global market for gum in the next few years.
Due to its hydrocolloid nature, it dissolves easily in water.
It is mainly used to increase the viscosity of the gel and the consistency of food products. Because of the characteristics mentioned above, tare gum is used:
- as a stabilizer: in sauces and salad dressings;
- as a thickener: in ice cream, confectionery and dairy products;
- as an emulsifier: in the manufacture of mayonnaise and toothpaste;
- as a gelling agent: in jams, jellies, candies, dairy products and canned meats; ;
- as a retention agent: in the paper industry (increased retention in fine fiber and improved printability).
E417 is also used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and animal industries.
Manufacturing process
Tara gum is extracted from the seeds of the tara tree (C. spinosa L.). Which grows mainly in Peru. There are two different methods for removing the husk. In the first method, the husks are carbonized by treating the kernels with moderately dilute sulfuric acid at an elevated temperature.
The remaining fragments of the husk are removed after washing and cleaning. After the drying step, the peeled kernels undergo cracks and the embryos separate from the endosperm.
In another method, the seeds are roasted in a rotary kiln, after which their husks fall off. The endosperm is then obtained as described above. This process, which avoids the use of sulfuric acid, produces products with slightly different colors than the acid process (Ullmann, 2007).
The test team noted that this roasting process can generate PAHs, and also noted that PAH limits are not considered in the specifications.
Separation of the endosperm of tare seeds can also be done manually. The endosperm obtained under these conditions can be up to 27% of the total seed mass.
Depending on the manufacturing process, some residual enzymatic activity (amylase, galactosidase, mannosidase) may be present in gum containers.
Food Supplement Safety
Tara gum is a relatively new food additive, so there is little data on it, but the presence of toxic effects in animals has been carefully studied. The researchers conducted repeated 90-day trials in rats and mice with gum in the form of a 5% diet and found no side effects other than weight loss in the experimental groups.
Three generations of rat reproductive studies and genotoxicity studies found no harmful effects from the gum container. control mice also developed swelling, the researchers concluded that this was not the result of the addition of a container of gum.
Data on its toxicity is not very conclusive, as studies have not been conducted on humans. This does not mean that it is unsafe, because the available evidence suggests it; it simply means that there is not enough data on its safety and more research needs to be done, as well as being careful with new nutritional supplements.