Locust bean gum
Molecular structure
Many leguminous plant seeds contain galactomannans with similar structure. Those extracted from the locust bean are the most frequently used.
1 GALACTOSE UNIT FOR 4 MANNOSE RESIDUES
Locust bean gum is a polysaccharide (a long chain made of sugars) which combines the sugars galactose and mannose.
The main chain consists of (1-4) linked beta-D mannose residues and the side chain (1-6) linked alpha-D galactose.
The galactose sugars are not evenly distributed along the chain but tend to be clustered together in blocks. The chains have an irregular structure with alternating "smooth" and substituted zones.