Tara Gum CAS 39300-88-4

Tara gum is a galactomannan that is obtained from the seeds of the tara shrub Caesalpinia spinosa which is a native of the northern regions of Africa and South America.

The gum is described as having a backbone of (1,4)-linked β-D-mannopyranosyl units one third of which possess a single unit side chain of (1,6)-linked α-D-galactopyranose.

The gum forms gels with carrageenan and xanthan in a similar manner to guar and locust bean gum. Currently only small quantities of tara gum are sold for use as food thickeners and stabilisers.