Gellan gum is a natural, plant-derived food additive used in foods and beverages for its ability to thicken liquids and gel solutions. Produced by the fermentation of the microorganism Sphingomonas elodea, gellan gum provides texture and stability to foods while being easy to digest and safe for consumption. Let's take a closer look at this versatile gelling agent.
What is Gellan Gum?
Gellan gum is an anionic, microbial polysaccharide derived from the bacterium Sphingomonas elodea. When dissolved in hot water and allowed to cool, it forms a gel. The molecular structure of gellan gum allows it to form a stable, soft gel at low concentrations without the use of heat. Its rigid double helical structure provides a stable matrix that holds water and suspends other ingredients. Commercially produced by the company CP Kelco, gellan gum is approved as a food additive known as E418 in the United States and European Union.
Uses in Food and Beverages
Due to its gelling and stabilizing properties, Gellan Gum finds a wide variety of applications in foods and drinks:
- Dairy Products: It is used to thicken yogurt, create non-dairy alternatives like vegan cheese and cream cheese, stabilize dairy desserts, and prevent whey separation in quark.
- Bakery Products: Common in gluten-free baking, gellan gum helps bind ingredients, improve texture and moisture retention in baked goods like bread, muffins and pancakes.
- Sauces, Soups and Dressings: Providing a creamy mouthfeel, it is added to sauces, soups, salad dressings and mayonnaise alternatives.
- Beverages: Gellan gum is widely used to suspend fruit pieces and flavorings in juices, nectars and flavored waters. It is also used in non-dairy milk alternatives.
- Confectionery: Jellies, gums, desserts and candies containing fruit pieces or inclusions rely on gellan gum for gel formation and stability.
- Meat and Seafood Products: It lends texture to surimi seafood analogs as well as vegetarian meat substitutes.
What Makes it Unique?
Gellan gum stands out due to certain key advantages over other gelling agents:
Low Gelling Temperature: Unlike gelatin which requires heat to form gels, gellan gum gels at low temperatures which is beneficial for heat-sensitive ingredients.
Vegan Friendly: As it is not an animal-derived product, gellan gum is widely used in vegan foods that require texture from gelling agents.
Clean Label: With no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, gellan gum allows for simpler ingredient labels favored by health-conscious consumers.
Versatile Texturizer: Apart from gelling, it can provide viscosity, stabilization and water binding properties valuable across diverse formulations.
Consistent Quality: Mass production using fermentation ensures high degree of purity and consistent functional performance batch to batch.
Easy to Use: Forming thermoreversible gels, gellan gum solutions are easy to prepare and do not require skilled manufacturing techniques.
Food Applications of Gellan Gum
Baked Goods
In gluten-free baking, gellan gum improves the structure and texture of breads, pastries and cakes that lack gluten proteins. At 0.1-0.75% levels, it mimics gluten's elasticity and ability to hold leavened gases. Combined with starches and gums, gellan reacts with proteins from eggs or dairy to form a continuous network that traps air. This results in lighter, softer crumb texture akin to wheat-based goods.
Dairy Products
Gellan gum is commonly used in dairy alternatives like vegan cheese, cream cheese and yogurt to provide a creamy, spreadable consistency. At 0.1-1% levels in combination with stabilizers like carrageenan or guar gum, it sets to a soft gel similar to dairy products while suspending solid inclusions. This allows for simple ingredient labels without the use of emulsifiers or thickened starches.
Beverages
As a beverage suspending agent, gellan gum helps distribute fruit pieces, flavors or herbal extracts evenly in juices, nectars, flavored waters and plant-based milks. Its ability to form very soft, weak gels at 0.03-0.3% concentrations keeps solids loosely suspended without settling or separation. This prevents an uneven drinking experience and extends the shelf life of products.
Clean labeling and stability across various applications, gellan gum has emerged as an essential plant-based gelling agent for the food industry. It allows manufacturers to develop innovative formulated products catering to the evolving needs of health-conscious consumers. As demand for vegan, allergen-friendly foods grows worldwide, gellan gum is poised to play a key role in shaping the future of the food landscape.
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