Gellan gum: application, benefit and harm

What is gellan gum? What is it for? These and other questions will be answered in the article. This substance (food supplement E 418) was created as a cheap substitute for vegetable gum. In the process of application, strange qualities were discovered, which opened up great technological opportunities, especially for the manufacturers of confectionery and non-alcoholic beverages.

Type of substance

Gellan gum - the basic name of the food supplement, fixed GOST 33310-2015. The international name is Gellan gum. As part of the provisions of the Chinese manufacturer, a food supplement can often be referred to as "mushroom gum".

It is known that E 418 is a highly effective thickener and gelling agent. It is classified by chemical structure as a biopolymer. The product is manufactured in two forms, affecting the parameters of the resulting mass:

• Low-acylated gum (LA): forms a gel with a brittle, dense structure;
• Gellan gum highly acylated (HA): creates an elastic jelly, which has a soft texture, contains acyls (fragments of organic acids), is more often a thickener.

In the process of development, two species can mix with each other and with other hydrocolloid substances to obtain the desired texture of the product.

Receiving

Gellan gum is the result of the metabolism of specific bacteria Sphingomonas elodea. Microbes are cultivated in a carbonaceous nitrogen medium (in most cases, on sugar extractions) enriched with inorganic and organic phosphorus. As a result of fermentation, a viscous broth is obtained. From it, by means of pasteurization, the gum is extracted in its natural form. If you want to get a low-acylated gum, acyl groups are eliminated with alkali. Admixture E 418, depending on the configuration, is referred to as semi-synthetic or natural products.

Properties

And yet, gellan gum - what is it? This substance is white (a yellowish color is allowed), is made in the form of a powder and has no smell and taste. In its composition has glucose monomers, glucuronic acid.

This food additive splendidly dissolves in hot and cold water, it is insoluble in organic liquids, its density is not determined. It is thermostable, resistant to modification of the pH level. The content of the base material is not less than 85%.

Packaging

The food additive E 418 is transported in paper multilayer bags and roller drums with a polymeric inner liner. Typical volume is 25 kg. Keep the product away from heat sources, in a dry place.

Application

What is the use of gellan gum? It is known that the food industry is the basic consumer of the gelling agent E 418. The exclusivity of this food additive is the ability to form both brittle and elastic structures. With a small concentration (0.5%), the substance creates stable jellies, which positively affects the rationalization of production and the reduction in the selling price of the finished product.

The minus of gellan is its propensity to syneresis. That is why the addition of E 418, as a rule, is used in conjunction with other colloidal materials. The admixture has a wide range of useful technological properties that open up great opportunities for manufacturers of food supplies:

• Great pseudo-plasticity. It operates in the manufacture of dairy and juice drinks, yoghurts, including various fillers (cereals, berries). The additive saves slurries, in a resting state it has a viscous consistency, but when the fluid is shaken, it becomes fluid.
• Thermostability is used in the production of fillings for frozen billets (pies, pancakes). When heated in microwave and oven ovens, the filler does not melt.
• Resistance to freezing and thawing: gellan is in the composition of ice cream and frozen desserts.
• Ability at a small dosage to create strong, almost not falling off gels. Manufacturers of confectionery products are used for application to vertical (side) surfaces.
• Preservation of juiciness, appearance, aroma and taste of the product. Add to the gelling spicy fills for fish, vegetable, meat dishes. In the production of chewing sweets, marshmallow, marmalade, the use of the E 418 additive enhances the effect of gelatin and identical agents, allows the products to be stored at room temperature, and reduces the gelling time.

By the way, on the basis of gellan invented a brilliant novelty: a gel-like transparent drink with fruit pieces, as if floating in the air.

The promising application of substance E 418 is the coating of the product surface. Cold or hot solution of the substance is sprayed to form a film or a special shell (breading) on semi-finished products from fish, poultry, vegetables, dough products. This during the subsequent roasting promotes the formation of crispy crust and reduces the absorption of oil.

For the first time, the thickener E 418 was used by Japanese caterers in 1988. Today, it is permitted in Russia, the United States, Canada, the EU countries and the EEA, Australia, and the Asian countries. The daily allowable norm is not established.

On the second place on application of the additive there is a medicine. Gellan is used in the production of eye drops, healing capsules with a hard and soft shell. The substance is included in the Pharmacopoeia of America (USP / NF).

The additive is also used in innovative medical research. A group of scientists from Australia and the USA, under the guidance of Professor Wallace Gordon, with the help of biochernil based on a thickener and living cells, imprinted a 3D brain structure. With the help of this discovery, nerve cells, similar to the real ones, were grown. Gellan at the same time was a nutrient that stimulates the growth of cells.

With the help of this experiment, scientists wanted to understand the nature of intricate neurodegenerative ailments (for example, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's), to find ways to treat and prevent them. Admixture E 418 as a thickener, which detracts from the aroma of the product, began to use the cosmetic industry. Gellan is included in the composition of skin care creams, toothpastes.

Benefit and harm

What else is interesting gellan gum? The benefits and harms of this supplement are known to few. Substance refers to ballast materials that can not be absorbed into the walls of the digestive system. We can say with confidence that the product is safe. The source of valuable biological elements is not an additive, but the body benefits.

Gellan, in the stomach, begins to work like a fiber:

• Normalizes intestinal permeability, successfully fights with constipation;
• Clears the digestive tract from toxins that settle on its walls;
• Slows down the absorption of sugar, which helps lower blood levels;
• To some extent contributes to getting rid of excess weight.

So, now you know that gellan gum does not harm the body, since there are no contraindications to the use of the substance. This food supplement is gradually becoming popular: in recent years, the use of a promising gellant and thickener in the food industry has quadrupled. The substance can be found in the products of Alpro, Danone, Mentos trademarks.