Locust bean gum
The locust bean has been known for its thickening properties since ancient times: the Egyptians used locust bean paste to glue bandages onto mummies. However, it was only early in the 20th century that locust bean gum (LBG) became an industrial product.
The carob has a very uniform seed size, about 200mg, and was used as a standard weight in medieval times by jewellers. It has been perpetuated until this day as the unit of gold measurement – the carat.
LBG is extracted from the seeds of Ceratonia siliqua, the European carob tree, which is evergreen and leguminous. Originally from Syria and Asia Minor, the locust bean has been cultivated since antiquity in the Mediterranean basin.
The fruit is an elongated pod, 10 to 20 cm long and 2 to 4 cm wide. Each pod contains slightly oval seeds about 8 mm long. LBG is obtained from the endosperm of the seeds, in which it acts as a carbohydrate reserve during germination.