Locust Bean Gum -- Hydrocolloid Series part 4

Hydrocolloids are wondrous substances that can be found in beans, fruits, seaweed, hooves, and the bladders of some fish. They wiggle and gel and can impart those properties on food, lotions, sauces, just about anything!

The fourth of my Hydrocolloid series is Locust Bean Gum, aka Carob Gum. Primarily grown in the Mediterranean, it's used in cream cheese, pastry fillings, ice cream, and lotion to impart a creamy texture. It also acts as a thickener in sauces, soups, pet food, and salad dressings. Ancient Egyptians used a resin made from the beans of this tree as an adhesive for mummy wrappings. Dried carob beans have such a uniform weight (0.015g) that they were used by gold merchants as a standard of measurement!

Here are the others of the series (click the links to visit the blog entries!):

Pectin

Agar 

Gelatin

-- Julia

Portfolio site