Chemical Properties
branched, nonionic polymer.
General Description
Off-white to yellow-green powder. Odorless and tasteless, but acquires a leguminous taste when boiled in water.
Air & Water Reactions
Insoluble in water.
Health Hazard
ACUTE/CHRONIC HAZARDS: When heated to decomposition LOCUST BEAN GUM emits acrid smoke and fumes.
Fire Hazard
Flash point data for LOCUST BEAN GUM are not available. However, LOCUST BEAN GUM is probably combustible.
Physical properties
It is a white to yellowish-white powder. It is dispersible in either hot or cold water, forming a
solution having a pH between 5.4 and 7.0, which may be converted to gel by the addition of small amounts of sodium borate.
Production Methods
Ceratonia is a naturally occurring material obtained from the
ground endosperms separated from the seeds of the locust bean tree,
Ceratonia siliqua (Leguminosae). The tree is indigenous to southern
Europe and the Mediterranean region.
Pharmaceutical Applications
Ceratonia is a naturally occurring material generally used as a
substitute for tragacanth or other similar gums. A ceratonia
mucilage that is slightly more viscous than tragacanth mucilage
may be prepared by boiling 1.0–1.5% of powdered ceratonia with
water. As a viscosity-increasing agent, ceratonia is said to be five
times as effective as starch and twice as effective as tragacanth.
Ceratonia has also been used as a tablet binder and is used in oral
controlled-release drug delivery systems approved in Europe and
the USA.
Ceratonia is widely used as a binder, thickening agent, and
stabilizing agent in the cosmetics and food industry. In foods,
0.15–0.75% is used. Therapeutically, ceratonia mucilage is used
orally in adults and children to regulate intestinal function.
Safety
Ceratonia is generally regarded as an essentially noncarcinogenic,
nontoxic and nonirritant material. Therapeutically, it has been used
in oral formulations for the control of vomiting and diarrhea in
adults and children; 20–40 g daily in adults has been used dispersed
in liquid. As an excipient, ceratonia is used in oral controlledrelease
formulations approved in Europe and the USA.
Ceratonia is also widely used in food products. The WHO has
not specified an acceptable total daily intake for ceratonia as the
total daily intake arising from its use at the levels necessary to
achieve the desired effect, and from its acceptable background in
food, was not considered to represent a hazard to health.
Ceratonia hypersensitivity has been reported, in a single case
report, in an infant. However, ceratonia is said to be nonallergenic
in children with known allergy to peanuts.
LD50 (hamster, oral): 10.0 g/kg
LD50 (mouse, oral): 13.0 g/kg
LD50 (rabbit, oral): 9.1 g/kg
LD50 (rat, oral): 13.0 g/kg
storage
The bulk material should be stored in a well-closed container in a
cool, dry place. Ceratonia loses not more than 15% of its weight on
drying.
Incompatibilities
The viscosity of xanthan gum solutions is increased in the presence
of ceratonia. This interaction is used synergistically in controlledrelease
drug delivery systems.
Regulatory Status
GRAS listed. Accepted for use in Europe as a food additive. In
Europe and the USA, ceratonia has been used in oral tablet
formulations.
