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Article: Gumming for the alternative: choosing the right gum or combination of gums for an application is not always as easy as it might seem.(ingredient challenges)
- Article from:
- Prepared Foods
- Article date:
- May 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 BNP Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Oftentimes, ingredient selection is relatively straightforward, but the choice can be far more complex when dealing with a class of ingredients known as hydrocolloids. Hydrocolloids are, as their name implies, hydrophilic colloids, or polysaccharide chains containing hydroxyl groups available for binding water. Gums account for one particularly large category of hydrocolloids and vary according to: the type of sugar unit comprising the polysaccharide chain; the chain structure--straight or branched; the polymer size; and the presence and type of chemical side groups. Each of these attributes impacts a gum's functionality as well as its interaction with other ingredients, ...