HIGHLY GELATINOUS GELAN GUM AND ITS PRODUCTION

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a highly gelatinous gelan gum giving an extremely excellent aqueous solution, attaining an effect comparable or superior to conventional gelan gum by the addition of decreased amount of the gum, having improved water-dispersibility at a low temperature and exhibiting good workability by using a gelan gum having a specific gel strength. SOLUTION: This gelan gum has a gel strength of 60-80 g/cm<2> (measured by a rheometer with a 10 mmϕ cylindrical plunger at 20 deg.C) in the form of an aqueous solution having a gelan gum concentration of 1.0 wt.%. The gelan gum is produced preferably from a gelan gum having a drying loss of <=50 wt.% by heating the gum at 50-100 deg.C for >=3 hr or at 110-130 deg.C for >=30 min. The gelan gum preferably has a structure containing 1 glyceryl residue and 1-0.6 acetyl residue bonded to a 1-3 bonded glucose residue.