Cassia gum is the flour and food additives made from the endosperms of the seeds of ''

Senna obtusifolia ''Senna obtusifolia'', known by the common names Chinese senna, American sicklepod, sicklepod, etc., is a plant in the genus '' Senna'', sometimes separated in the monotypic genus ''Diallobus''. It grows wild in North, Central, and South America, ...

'' and ''

Senna tora :''This page is about the ''Cassia tora'' described by Linnaeus. Later authors usually applied the taxon to ''Senna obtusifolia. ''Senna tora'' (originally described by Linnaeus as ''Cassia tora'') is a plant species in the family Fabaceae and t ...

'' (also called '' Cassia obtusifolia'' or ''

Cassia tora :''This page is about the ''Cassia tora'' described by Linnaeus. Later authors usually applied the taxon to ''Senna obtusifolia. ''Senna tora'' (originally described by Linnaeus as ''Cassia tora'') is a plant species in the family Fabaceae and ...

''). It is composed of at least 75% polysaccharide, primarily

galactomannan Galactomannans are polysaccharides consisting of a mannose backbone with galactose side groups, more specifically, a (1-4)-linked beta-D-mannopyranose backbone with branchpoints from their 6-positions linked to alpha-D-galactose, (i.e. 1-6-linke ...

with a mannose:galactose ratio of 5:1, resulting in a high molecular mass of 200,000-300,000 Da.

Approval

Japan

In 1995, cassia gum was added to the list of approved food additives in Japan by the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare.

United States

Two GRAS notices were filed to the

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA), one on June 23, 2000 (GRN 51) and one on November 21, 2003 (GRN 139), both of which were not evaluated due to notifier's request to cease evaluation. In June 2008, specialty firm Lubrizol Advanced Material filed a petition to the FDA proposing that food regulations be amended to provide for the use of cassia gum as a stabilizer in frozen dairy desserts. Approval in the US is still pending, with no clear indication of when it may be obtained.

European Union

In 2010, cassia gum received EU approval for human food applications.

Uses

It is used as a thickener and gelling agent, and has

E-number E numbers ("E" stands for "Europe") are codes for substances used as food additives, including those found naturally in many foods such as vitamin C, for use within the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Commonly f ...

E427 in food and E499 in feed (pet food).

References

External links

Safety of cassia gum as a feed additive for dogs and cats
from EFSA journal Edible thickening agents E-number additives {{ingredient-stub