Locust bean gum

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Other names/abbreviations:

Carob gum

Material type:	Polymer
Material group:	Hetero polysaccharide, branched Galactomannans
Monomer(s):	D-galactose D-mannose
Links:	alpha-(1-4) alpha-(1-6)
Origin of the polymer:	Natural
CAS-Number:	9000-40-2

Structure

(→4)-α-D-mannose(1→) (main chain) α-D-galactose(1→6) (single unit side chain) [1].

Chemical properties

Locust bean gum is only partly soluble in cold water, and in order to obtain maximum viscosity, heating is required. Locust bean gum dispersions do not form gels, but can be used in carrageenans or agar to impart elastic properties. Lucust bean gum is a neutral polymer which is unaffected by pH 3-11 [1].


Behavior with other polymers
Locust bean gum can bind quantitatively to both cellulose I and II [6].
Weak adhesion (approximately 12%) to curdlan observed [7].
Locuts bean gum forms gels with xanthan gum [8]

Biological properties

Antiviral activity:

Inhibitor/Concentration (μg/mL)	0.1	1	10	100	800
Rabies virus in CER cells [3]	0	0	10	40	30
Adsorption HSV-1 in Vero cells [4]				50
Adsorption HSV-2 in Vero cells [4]				100
Adsorption and replication HSV-1 in Vero cells [4]				45
Adsorption and replication HSV-2 in Vero cells [4]				95

Inhibition of virus multiplication in cells.

Cell line	Concentration
CER cells [3]	>800
Vero cells [4]	100

Maximal non-cytotoxic concentration (μg/ml).

No inhibitory effect on rubella virus infection [2].


Molecular biology
10-35% inhibition on the restriction enzyme HindIII at 100-500 μg polysaccharide / μg λ DNA [5].

Physical properties

Appearance
	Physical state @ 20°C:	Solid
	Color:	White to light yellow

Occurence, isolation & synthesis

Occurence
Ceratonia siliqua L [1].

References

1: Glicksman,M. Gum Technology in the Food Industry
(1969) Academic Press

2: Mastromarino,P., Petruzziello,R., Macchia,S., Rieti,S., Nicoletti,R., Orsi,N. Antiviral Activity of Natural and Semisynthetic Polysaccharides on the Early Steps of Rubella Virus Infection
J. Antimicrob. Chemother. (1997) 39 339-345

3: Pietropaolo,V., Seganti,L., Marchetti,M., Sinibaldi,L., Orsi,N., Nicoletti,R. Effect of Natural and Semisynthetic Polymers on Rabies Virus Infection in CER Cells
Res. Virol. (1993) 144 151-158

4: Marchetti,M., Pisani,S., Pietropaolo,V., Seganti,L., Nicoletti,R., Orsi,N. Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus Infection by Negatively Charged and Neutral Carbohydrate Polymers
J. Chemother. (1995) 7 90-96

5: Do,N., Adams,R.P. A simple technique for removing plant polysaccharide contaminants from DNA
Biotechniques (1991) 10 162-166

6: Mishima,T., Hisamatsu,M., York,W.S., Teranishi,K., Yamada,T. Adhesion of β-D-glucans to cellulose
Carbohydr. Res. (1998) 308 (3-4) 389-396

7: Hisamatsu,M., Mishima,T., Teranishi,K., Yamada,T. The correlation between adhesion of schizophyllan to yeast glucan and its effect on regeneration of yeast protoplast
Carbohydr. Res. (1997) 298 (1-2) 117-121

8: Chandrasekaran,R. X-ray Diffraction of Food Polysaccharides
Adv. Food Nutr. Res. (1998) 42 131-210

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© Michael Pilgaard
Created: March 4, 2008