Gums and thickeners: a review of food hydrocolloids

An overview of the gums and thickeners available for food use, with a discussion of their typical applications and limitations.

Gums and thickeners are used in a wide range of food products and for a variety of purposes including gelling and thickening, stabilising foams and emulsions, water retention, texture improvement and fat replacement. Derived from various sources - including seeds, fruits, vegetables, plant exudates, seaweeds, micro-organisms and animals - many are polysaccharides while others are proteins, so they offer a variety of chemistries allowing tailored modifications to their properties.

This publication reviews the main gums and thickeners used in food production - looking, in turn, at their chemical nature, the physical properties of the derived materials, and their applications in food products. The intention is to provide a broad overview to help food industry personnel appreciate the range of materials on offer, their likely uses and an understanding of why some materials are best suited to particular applications. The last three sections respectively explore the analysis of gums and thickeners, their sensory properties and consumer attitudes towards products containing them. The review specifically excludes starch and cellulose as general reviews of these already exist.

Contents

• Introduction
• Pectin
• Gelatin
• Xanthan gum
• Alginates
• Carrageenan
• Galactomannans (Guar and locust bean gums)
• Gellan gum
• Gum Arabic
• Milk proteins (caseinates and whey)
• Manufacture of dairy desserts
• Measurement and analytical techniques for food hydrocolloids
• Sensory properties of hydrocolloids
• Consumer attitudes towards products containing gelatin
• References