Galactomannan: A versatile biodegradable seed polysaccharide

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2013.05.017

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Volume 60, September 2013, Pages 83-92

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2013.05.017 Get rights and content

Abstract

Polysaccharides have been finding, in the last decades, very interesting and useful applications in the biomedical and, specifically, in the biopharmaceutical field. Galactomannans are a group of storage polysaccharides from various plant seeds that reserve energy for germination in the endosperm. There are four major sources of seed galactomannans: locust bean (Ceratonia siliqua), guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), tara (Caesalpinia spinosa Kuntze), and fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum L.). Through keen references of reported literature on galactomannans, in this review, we have described occurrence of various galactomannans, its physicochemical properties, characterization, applications, and overview of some major galactomannans.

Section snippets

Introduction to polysaccharides

Seed polysaccharides are one of the most important categories of plant-originated gums used in the food industry, as they play important roles in both food processing and improving the mouth feel and texture of food products. The occurrence of polysaccharides in plant seeds is mainly in three forms: as nonstarch polysaccharide food reserve material (e.g., guar, locust bean, etc.), as mucilages in the seed coats (e.g., psyllium seed, flaxseed, yellow mustard seed, etc.), and as cell wall

Introduction to galactomannans

Galactomannans are heterogeneous polysaccharides composed by a β-(1–4)-d-mannan backbone with a single d-galactose branch linked α-(1–6) (Fig. 1) [3]. They differ from each other by the mannose/galactose (M/G) ratio. These gums are mostly obtained from the endosperm of dicotyledonous seeds of numerous plants, particularly the Leguminosae. The endosperm has several functions: it serves as food reserve for germinating seeds and it retains water, preventing the complete drying of the seeds [4], [5]

Occurrence

The majority of galactomannans originate from Leguminosae family. 70 species of the Leguminosae have been identified containing galactomannans (Table 1). True galactomannans, as defined by Aspinall (that is, those mannans containing more than 5% of d-galactose) have also been extracted from members of Annonaceae, the Convolvulaceae and the Palmae, Ebenaceae and Loganiaceae as shown in Table 2. The general procedure to obtain galactomannans from seeds combines extraction and purification

Physico-chemical properties and characterization of galactomannans

For a better understanding of properties of galactomannans one should know the basic structure of their building units. It is obvious that mannose is provided with cis-OH groups in the galactomannan polymer. Therefore, an enhanced deposition to form hydrogen bonds between the polymannan chains is expected as long as neighboring groups like galactose do not develop steric hindrance to prevent the galactomannan chains from coming too closer together and prevent the mannose cis-OH groups in

Applications of galactomannans

Galactomannans are widely utilized in the industry due to their suitable functional properties, such as thickening, binding, and stabilizing abilities. These functional properties are led by rheological behavior of galactomannans in an aqueous phase and also by intermolecular binding in certain conditions. Hydrated galactomannan molecules occupy a large hydrodynamic volume in aqueous solution and control the rheological behavior of the entire solution. Galactomannans themselves are nongelling

Locust bean gum

Locust bean gum (Fig. 2) is a popular natural polymer which is mostly used in food industry as well as in pharmaceutical industry. This natural polymer is conventionally used as an excipients in manufacturing different formulation which mainly depends on its thickening and gelling property [28]. Locust bean gum is a non-starch polysaccharides consisting of galactose and mannose in the ratio 1:4 and hence they are known as galactomanan [29]. The mannose elements from a linear chain linked with

Conclusion

Galactomannans are widely utilized in the industry due to their suitable functional properties, such as thickening, binding, and stabilizing abilities. These functional properties are led by rheological behavior of galactomannans in an aqueous phase and also by intermolecular binding in certain conditions. Among all galactomannans, only locust bean and guar gums are of considerable industrial importance. The use of tara and fenugreek gums is limited due to availability and price. There are

Acknowledgements

The authors are highly thankful to SSR College of Pharmacy, Silvassa for providing all the necessary support and the essential library information resources.

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ReviewGalactomannan: A versatile biodegradable seed polysaccharide

Abstract

Section snippets

Introduction to polysaccharides

Introduction to galactomannans

Occurrence

Physico-chemical properties and characterization of galactomannans

Applications of galactomannans

Locust bean gum

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

Food Hydrocolloids

Trends in Food Science & Technology

Carbohydrate Polymers

International Journal of Pharmaceutics

Food Hydrocolloids

Carbohydrate Polymers

Journal of Food Engineering

Food Hydrocolloids

Carbohydrate Polymers

Carbohydrate Polymers

Food Hydrocolloids

Carbohydrate Research

Carbohydrate Polymers

Carbohydrate Polymers

Journal of Controlled Release

Food Chemistry

Food Science and Technology

Carbohydrate Polymers

European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Carbohydrate Research

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Food Hydrocolloids

Carbohydrate Polymers

Food Hydrocolloids

Food Hydrocolloids

International Journal of Biological Macromolecules

Carbohydrate Research

Food Hydrocolloids

Review
Galactomannan: A versatile biodegradable seed polysaccharide