Hydrocolloids

Product Highlights

Method of Manufacture

Manufacturing Principle : The raw material as seeds are subject to different mechanical cleaning steps in order to remove farm waste, undeveloped seeds and stones. Following it the raw material is subject to a de-husking and splitting process i.e. a thermal and mechanical treatment removing husk and germ from the seeds resulting in splits. Finally the splits are ground to a uniform small particle size powder, extracted with isopropanol and dried.

Cleaning and Grading of seeds

The seeds that are used in the production of cassia gum are generally picked in the wild. The seeds are passed through grading machines & several different mechanical cleaning steps to remove foreign matter and seeds other than C. tora. & underdeveloped seeds & other impurities are removed.

Dehusking & Splitting the seeds

The seed consists of an outer husk, an endosperm (split) and the germ. The splitting procedure starts with roasting of the seeds, the endosperm (split) remains intact and flexible, while husk and germ, which are more sensitive to heat, become brittle. Mechanical stress pulverizes husk and germ and the powder is separated from the intact split by sieving & through a series of physical cleaning steps.

Processing the splits

Now, specially adapted extraction process with isopropanol. The drying process drives off residual isopropyl alcohol and water allowing a suitably low specification for isopropyl alcohol of 0.075%. The extraction step reduces the residual anthraquinones to less than the limit of 0.5 mg/kg. After drying of the product in a dryer, the batches are transferred to a blender where they are packed into bags.

Physical properties of food grade Cassia gum (Cassia gum E427, Cassia gum Refined)

Appearance Off-white fine power Odour Neutral Taste Neutral Solubility Insoluble in ethanol; disperses well in cold water and forms a colloidal solution Bulk density 0.6 kg/l Particle size 100 Mesh ≥ 99 % pH (1%) 5.5-8.0 1% Viscosity ≥ 260 mPas Break Strength 1,200 – 1,800 g/cm2

Anthraquinones

As indicated above, the primary impurities of concern in cassia gum are anthraquinones, which occur naturally in the seeds from which the cassia gum is produced. The major portion of the anthraquinones exists as the di- or tri-glycosides. These include rhein, physcion, obtusifolin, emodin, questin, lesser amounts of others, and chrysophanic acid.

Levels of anthraquinones in refined Cassia gum : While the average anthraquinone content in whole seeds is at least 10,000 mg/kg, no individual anthraquinone is detectable in the refined Cassia gum at 0.5 mg/kg, based on HPLC analyses.

Rationale for using Refined Cassia Gum

Cassia gum is related to carob bean gum, guar gum and tara gum in terms of structure and chemical properties, although in terms of functionality cassia gum is more comparable to locust bean gum than to guar gum.

Functional uses of Refined Cassia gum :

Refined Cassia gum is a galactomannan that differs from related galactomannan gums, such as locust bean gum, tara gum and guar gum, in having fewer galactose molecules next to the long mannose chain. This fact, however, has a significant effect on the synergy of food grade Cassia gum with anionic food gums like carrageenan or xanthan. A high number of galactose side chains prohibit the synergistic gelling effect with anionic polymers. As a result, a smaller amount of hydrocolloid blend containing cassia gum is needed in a food product to achieve the same effect as with carrageenan alone or blends of carrageenan with other related galactomannans. The break strength and gelling properties of pure carrageenan, for example, can be achieved with 2/3 less of a mixture of carrageenan and cassia gum.

Properties of Cassia gum Refined (Cassia gum E427) in Foods

Emulsifying, stabilizing , thickening , gelling properties , water retention, controlling overrun.

Uses & applications of Cassia gum Refined (Cassia gum E427) in foods :

• Meat products, including all meat and meat containing dishes, salads, appetizers, frozen multi course meat meals and sandwich ingredients prepared by commercial processing or using commercially processed meats with home preparation.
• Frozen Dairy Desserts and mixes, including ice cream, ice milks, sherbets, and other frozen dairy desserts and specialties.
• Poultry products, including all poultry and poultry containing dishes, salads, appetizers, frozen multi course poultry meals, and sandwich ingredients prepared by commercial processed poultry with home preparation.
• Cheeses, cream, natural, grating, processed, spread, dip and miscellaneous cheeses. The applications include the use of cassia gum in the food categories above at levels ranging from 0.25 % - 0.35 %.

Synonyms of Cassia gum Refined (Cassia Gum E-427)

Cassia gum E427, Cassia gum Food Grade, Goma cassia, Cassia guma, Cassiagummi, Cassiapitmeel, Cassiakumi, Gomme de cassia, Cassiakernmehl, Gumy cassia, Goma de cassia, Guma de cassia, Guma cassia.