Locust polysaccharide structure

As with agar and carrageenan, substitution in the Xanthomonas polysaccharide structure inhibits the interaction with galactomannan. Thus, removal of the acetyl groups by saponification yields a product that interacts much better with galactomannans.211 Less locust-bean gum is required to gel deacetylated Xanthomonas polysaccharide, and mixtures of locust-bean gum and deacetylated Xanthomonas polysaccharide form a gel at lower, total-polysaccharide concentrations. 

Synthetic products, e.g., polyethylene oxides(104), polyacrylates, polyacrylamides, and polyetherglycols were in competition with natural polymers like starch, guar, cellulose derivatives, alignates, carrageenan, and locust bean gum. The basic physical and structural properties of the various polysaccharide thickeners have been compiled and reviewed by numerous authors and editors(105-109). 

Exact mechanisms may not be completely elucidated, but there is consensus that dissimilarities in localized chemical structures play an important role (Dea, 1989), arguing unavoidable entrapment of one polysaccharide in the gel of the other. Turquois et al. (1992) appeared to support the entrapment hypothesis by suggesting that synergistic gelation between K-car-rageenan and locust bean gum results in network coupling. 

On structural basis, polysaccharides are classified as linear, short branched, and branch on branch. Amylose, cellulose, pectin, alginates are some linear polysaccharides. Short-branched polysaccharides are guar gum, locust bean gum, and xanthan gum. Polysaccharides with branch-on-branch structure are amylopectin, gum arabic, and arabinoxylan. 

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