Cargill’s offer

Cargill offers various types of locust bean gum and guar gum flour or extract. Each product has been formulated to suit the requirements of a specific area of application. 

Cargill's products are available under the Viscogum™ tradename.

Galactomannans for innovative textures 

Locust bean gum originates from the seeds of Ceratonia siliqua, the European carob tree, which is evergreen and leguminous. Many leguminous plant seeds contain galactomannans: polysaccharides with thickening properties. Locust bean and guar gum are the most frequently used raw materials for thickening. 

The locust bean has been known for its thickening properties since ancient times. The Egyptians used locust bean paste to glue the bandages onto mummies. However, it was only at the beginning of the 20th century that locust bean gum became an industrial product.

Interest in guar gum is more recent and stems from a shortage of locust bean pods in the mid-19th century. Guar originates from India and Pakistan, but today it also is cultivated in the USA.  It is extracted from the albumen of Cyamopsis tetragonolobus seeds, an annual leguminous plant. Guar seeds have the same structure as locust bean seeds but are slightly smaller in diameter.