COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 231/2012 of 9 March 2012
Synonyms
Carob bean gum; Algaroba gum
Definition
Locust bean gum is the ground endosperm of the seeds of the strains of carob tree, Cerationia siliqua (L.) Taub. (family Leguminosae). Consists mainly of a high molecular weight hydrocolloidal polysaccharide, composed of galactopyranose and mannopyranose units combined through glycosidic linkages, which may be described chemically as galactomannan
Einecs: 232-541-5
Chemical name:
Chemical formula:
Molecular weight: 50 000-3 000 000
Assay: Galactomannan content not less than 75 %
Description
White to yellowish-white, nearly odourless powder
Identification
Test for galactose: Passes test
Test for mannose: Passes test
Microscopic examination: Place some ground sample in an aqueous solution containing 0,5 % iodine and 1 % potassium iodide on a glass slide and examine under microscope. Locust bean gum contains long stretched tubiform cells, separated or slightly interspaced. Their brown contents are much less regularly formed than in guar gum. Guar gum shows close groups of round to pear shaped cells. Their contents are yellow to brown
Solubility: Soluble in hot water, insoluble in ethanol
Purity
Loss on drying: Not more than 15 % (105 °C, 5 hours)
Ash: Not more than 1,2 % determined at 800 °C
Protein (N × 6,25): Not more than 7 %
Acid-insoluble matter: Not more than 4 %
Starch: Not detectable by the following method: to a 1 in 10 solution of the sample add a few drops of iodine solution. No blue colour is produced
Arsenic: Not more than 3 mg/kg
Lead: Not more than 2 mg/kg
Mercury: Not more than 1 mg/kg
Cadmium: Not more than 1 mg/kg
Ethanol and propan-2-ol: Not more than 1 %, single or in combination