ABSTRACT
Some polysaccharides, which are hydrocolloid by nature, are extracted from the seed endosperms of wild legume plants. Polysaccharide gums thus obtained and when found nontoxic can generally be used as thickening and gelling agents in food and in several nonfood industries. Galactomannan gums are present as the endospermic reserve polysaccharides in a large number of legume seeds.1 Many of the annual agricultural crops, wild annual herbs, and full-grown perennial trees and shrubs have galactomannans in their seeds.2 Thus, after examining hundreds of legume seeds, E. Anderson, concluded that galactomannan polysaccharides are a common constituent of many legume endosperms.3,4 Similar conclusions were also drawn by Dr. V. P. Kapoor, emeritus scientist of the National Botanical Research Institute in Lucknow, India, who has made an extensive survey of the Cassia species of plants and has found them to be a rich source of galactomannans. According to his survey, there are still many, unexplored Cassia plants indigenous to India that could become a future source of industrial gums.5
