Investigation on the Use of Gums in Korean Processed Foods

Abstract

Abstract The use of gums in processed foods manufactured in Korea was investigated in this study. The information about gums added to each food was collected from the ingredient claimed on the food packaging. A total of 272 food items were found to use gums as a thi ckener, stabilizer, and/or emulsifier. Among them, carrageenan was the most frequently found in 110 items (40%), followed by xanthan gum in 87 items (32%), guar gum in 67 items (25%), arabic gum in 50 items (18%), and gellan gum in 28 items (10%). Application of more than two different gums to food items was also observed, presumably based on the synergistic interaction between gums for a specific physical property. Of nine food categories classified by the Korea Food Code, gums were used most frequently in beverages, noodles, and meat products. Foods for children which include confectioneries, beverages, and chocolates were found to frequently use arabic gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, guar gum, or gellan gum. These results indicate that gums have been widely using in a variety of Korean processed foods in order to improve their physical properties. Considering potential health concern of some gums such as carrageenan, further study to estimate daily intake of gum is needed.Key words: gum, processed food, carrageenan, beverage, xanthan gum