Extraction, structural properties, and applications of tara gum

Tara gum is a galactomannan polysaccharide in the natural gum group known as Peruvian carob. It is found in nature in the seeds of Caesalpinia spinosa and is extracted from the its endosperm. Its structure consists of high-molecular weight polysaccharide chains. It acts as a thickener, binder, stabilizer, and moisture retainer. The colorless and tasteless nature of tara gum causes it to be used frequently in food products. Tara gum has intermediate water solubility, and its physical and rheological properties change from the origin which was obtained. In addition, its aqueous solution shows stability under acidic conditions. Tara gum, which is known to have no gelling feature, can show a synergistic effect with other gums and gain a viscosity increase and gelling feature. Its structure and functional properties are similar to those of guar gum and locust bean gum. Due to the fact that it is a gum that has been grown and produced in the last period, studies on it are limited. For this reason, tara gum extraction, structural properties, and applications will be discussed in this chapter.