Study on chemical modification of locust bean gum for enhanced functionality

The present study focused on modifying Locust bean gum (LBG) to alter its physical properties, including hydration and cold-water solubility. The chemical modification process for LBG was optimized for scalability by adjusting the reaction medium and mixture of ethanol and water in a ratio of 60:40. The optimized reaction medium had a sufficient amount of water, which allowed the uncoiling of the chains and aided in the scalability of the process. The LBG was subjected to acid modification using various acids with and without the addition of sodium bicarbonate. Results revealed that LBG modified with HCl exhibited enhanced crystallinity, reduced water absorption by 2 folds, reduction in emulsion stability by 20 %, and superior hydrophobicity in comparison to control LBG majorly due to the change in mannose to galactose ratio (9.1:1). On the other hand, the sodium salt of modified LBG exhibited greater amorphousness, increased solubility by 20 %, and a remarkable ∼7-fold increase in surface area. Additionally, there was a ∼5-fold drop in the average pore diameter compared to the control LBG. These results demonstrate the potential for chemical modifications to modify the physical properties of LBG for specific applications.