Start a Vegetable Gum Making Business

Start a Vegetable Gum Making Business

Vegetable gum is derived from a variety of plants found naturally on land and in the ocean. Vegetable gum is also used in nutritional supplements as a dietary fiber source. Vegetable gum is a fairly new form of dietary fiber. It is believed to help with bowel regularity and provide numerous health benefits. Vegetable gum has been used for years as an ingredient in many foods and beverages as a thickening agent. Vegetable gum will retain the fluids in the product as the body goes through the digestion process preventing the body from absorbing any liquids from the product.

Vegetable Gum is used in a wide variety of confectionery items.

ORIGINS

Vegetable gums are natural polysaccharides derived from a variety of vegetable and plant sources including beans, fruits and seaweeds. Xanthan gum is derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, and is made by the process of microbial fermentation. Cellulose gum is a water soluble gum that is made from plant fiber. Guar gum, which comes from the guar bean, is mainly produced in India. Locust bean gum, also called carob gum, comes from the carob bean seed. Pectin, a vegetable gum, is obtained from citrus fruits and other fruits sources, such as apple peels. Acacia gum, made from the hardened sap of the acacia tree, comes from Arabia and West Asia.

FUNCTION

Vegetable gum is a powder or resin that is used in the food industry as a gelling agent, thickener, texturizer, stabilizer, humectant, binding agent and also to increase shelf life. Vegetable gum has the property to absorb many times its weight in water. There are many types of vegetable gum. Agar agar is a gum used to gel dairy products like yogurt. Cellulose gum is often an ingredient in ice creams, beverages and baked goods. Xanthan gum, used to increase shelf life, is found in salad dressings, sauces and pie fillings. Guar gum is 80-85% fiber and is added to breads to provide soluble fiber. Locust bean gum, also called carob gum, is used to thicken puddings and dairy products. Pectin is widely used as a gelling agent in fruit-based jams and confections and as a stabilizer in yogurt.

OTHER USE AND INDUSTRIES

Vegetable gums are used in cosmetics such as shaving creams, facial scrubs and shampoos. They act as gelling agents, thickeners, humectants and binders. Vegetable gum, especially guar gum, is used medicinally as a source of dietary fiber.

HEALTH EFFECTS

Some vegetable gums are a great source of fiber. In particular, guar gum is used as a fiber supplement to aid in digestion and help with irritable bowel syndrome. Vegetable gums are gluten free. They may be useful in lowering blood sugar and reducing heart disease. There are no significant side effects to consuming vegetable gums.

Major Vegetable Gums

Xanthan Gum

• Agar Gum
• Cellulose Gum
• Xanthan Gum
• Guar Gum
• Locust Bean Gum
• Pectin

Agar  Agar agar is used as a vegetable gum for gelling the dairy products like yogurt. Agar agar as a food thickener has the capacity to absorb 100 times more water than its weight. Agar agar is a polysaccharide that has the repeating unit of alpha-D-galactopyranosyl and 3,6-anhydro-alpha-L-glactopyranosyl. 

Cellulose Gum Use of cellulose gum as a vegetable gum and food thickening agent is not new. At home homemakers have been using it for the last 50 years. All cellulose vegetable gums are water soluble because of the cellulose content in it. It is used in ice-creams, beverages and in baked food products to prevent stalling. Also the ice-crystal formulation in ice-creams is prevented by this vegetable gum.

Xanthan Gum Xanthan Gum is again a polysaccharide and chiefly used in salad dressing and sauces. Also some of the bakery filling use the Xanthan gum that is an excellent food thickener. This vegetable gum is also used to increase the shelf period of eatables. 

Guar Gum Guar Gum is a carbohydrate based vegetable gum and food thickener that swell up in cold water. It is an excellent food thickening agent used in food industry as it has about 80-85% of soluble dietary fibers. Because of this reason guar gum is also used in bread to have more soluble dietary content.

Locust Bean Gum Locust Bean Gum is also called the Carob bean gum as it is made from the carob bean's seed. It is mainly used in food for water binding, thickening and gel strengthening. This vegetable gum is used as dessert gel, dairy applications and as processed cream cheese. 

Pectin Pectin is a kind of polysaccharide that is obtained from plant such as citrus fruit peel, apple peel etc. Pectin is a vegetable gum and food thickener that is used to make gel. You will find in almost every fruit based product such as jam, confectioneries, fruit drinks etc. Aprt from this yogurt and other dairy products also use this vegetable gum as food thickener. 

For more details:

http://www.indianyellowpages.com/india/manufacturers/g/guar-gum.html

http://www.21food.com/product/search_keys-vegetable+gum_cat-1018.html

Altrafine Gums (100%EOU)

88/2, GIDC Estate
Phase-1, Vatva
Ahmedabad - 382445, Gujarat
India

• Tel:+91 79 25890401
• Fax:+91 79 25890406