Edible thickening agents

thumb|Structure of the amylose molecule thumb|Structure of the amylopectin molecule

species of plant

thumb|Green tea-flavored yōkan, a popular Japanese red bean jelly made from agar thumb|A blood agar plate used to culture bacteria and diagnose infection

thumb|right|Sheet (or leaf) gelatin for cooking.

thumb|upright=1.5|The triple helix: three left-handed polyproline type II helices (red, green, blue) assemble by an axial hydrogen bond to form a right-handed triple helix, the tertiary structure of collagen.

thumb|Commercially produced powder of pectin, extracted from citrus fruits Pectin ( : 'congealed' and 'curdled') is a heteropolysaccharide, a structural polymer contained in the cell walls and middle lamellae of terrestrial plants. The principal chemical component of pectin is galacturonic acid (a sugar acid derived from galactose) which was isolated and described by Henri Braconnot in 1825. Commercially produced pectin is a white-to-light-brown powder, produced from citrus fruits for use as an edible gelling agent, especially in jams and jellies, dessert fillings, medications, and sweets; as

thumb|right|Sago palms (Metroxylon sagu) in New Guinea thumb|Peeling and pounding a segment of sago palm stem to produce an edible starch. Sepik River, Papua New Guinea Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm stems, especially those of Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, where it is called saksak, rabia and sagu. The largest supply of sago comes from Melanesia region, particularly Eastern Indonesia. Large quantities of sago are sent to Europe and North America for cooking p

Dextrins are a group of low-molecular-weight carbohydrates produced by the hydrolysis of starch and glycogen. Dextrins are mixtures of polymers of D-glucose units linked by α-(1→4) or α-(1→6) glycosidic bonds.

starch derived from the corn grain

species of plant

thumb|A dark roux in development thumb|A white roux thumb|A roux-based sauce

Salep, also spelled sahlep, salepi or sahlab, is a flour made from the tubers of the orchid genus Orchis (including species Orchis mascula and Orchis militaris). These tubers contain a nutritious, starchy polysaccharide called glucomannan. Salep flour is consumed in beverages and desserts, especially in the cuisines of the former Byzantines and Ottoman, notably in the Levant where it is a traditional winter beverage. An increase in consumption is causing local extinctions of orchids in parts of Greece, Turkey, and Iran.

300px|thumb|Tapioca starch

thumb|Underwater Eucheuma farming in the [[Philippines for carrageenan production]] Carrageenans or carrageenins ( ; ) are a family of natural linear sulfated polysaccharides. They are extracted from red edible seaweeds. Carrageenans are widely used in the food industry for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. Their main application is in dairy and meat products, due to their strong binding to food proteins. Carrageenans have emerged as a promising candidate in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications as they resemble animal glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). They ar

potassium acid salt of tartaric acid

thickening and stabilizing substance used in food and industrial applications

thumb|right|250px|Astragalus gummifer thumb|A dish of Tragacanth Tragacanth is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of several species of Middle Eastern legumes of the genus Astragalus, including A. adscendens, A. gummifer, A. brachycalyx, and A. tragacantha. Some of these species are known collectively under the common names "goat's thorn" and "locoweed". The gum is sometimes called Shiraz gum, shiraz, gum elect or gum dragon. The name derives from the Greek words tragos (meaning "goat") and akantha ("thorn"). Iran is the biggest producer of this gum.

food additive and thickener

polysaccharide found in brown algae

inorganic chemical compound

thickening agent

chemical compound

chemical compound

class=skin-invert-image|thumb|Callose is an example of a (1→3)-β-D-glucan composed of [[glucose units]] Beta-glucans, β-glucans comprise a group of β-D-glucose polysaccharides (glucans) naturally occurring in the cell walls of plants (including cereals), bacteria, algae and fungi, with significantly differing physicochemical properties dependent on source. Typically, β-glucans form a linear backbone with 1–3 β-glycosidic bonds but differ with respect to molecular mass, solubility, viscosity, branching structure, and gelation properties, with several physiological roles in these organisms and c

Hypromellose (INN), short for hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), is a semisynthetic, inert, viscoelastic polymer used in eye drops, as well as an excipient and controlled-delivery component in oral medicaments, found in a variety of commercial products.

species of plant

thickening agent

chemical compound

thumb|300px|Plantago afra, a member of the plant genus from which psyllium can be derived thumb|300px|Raw psyllium seeds alt=Psyllium Husk (Isbagol)|thumb|300px|Psyllium husk after processing Psyllium (), or Isabgol or ispaghula (), is the common name used for several members of the plant genus Plantago whose seeds are used commercially for the production of mucilage. Psyllium is mainly used as a dietary fiber to relieve symptoms of both constipation and mild diarrhea, and occasionally as a food thickener. Allergy to psyllium is common in workers frequently exposed to the substance.

group of related chemicals

chemical compound

chemical compound

thickening agent in food

species of plant

thumb|right|A segment of galactomannan showing mannose backbone (below) with a branching galactose unit (top) 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-linked alpha-D-galactopyranose).

thickening agent

Glucomannan is a water-soluble polysaccharide that is considered a dietary fiber. It is a hemicellulose component in the cell walls of some plant species. Glucomannan is a food additive used as an emulsifier and thickener. It is a major source of mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) found in nature, the other being galactomannan, which is insoluble.

chemical compound

thickening agent

thumb|Zamia integrifolia

finely powdered silica used as a thickener

thumb|300px|Kudzu smothering trees in Atlanta, Georgia, US

anionic polysaccharide produced by bacteria

Ricinodendron is a plant genus in the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1864. It includes only one known species, Ricinodendron heudelotii, native to tropical Africa from Senegal + Liberia east to Sudan and Tanzania and south to Mozambique and Angola. It produces an economically important oilseed. The tree is known as munguella (Angola), njangsa (Cameroon), bofeko (Democratic Republic of Congo), wama (Ghana), okhuen (Nigeria), kishongo (Uganda), akpi (Ivory Coast), djansang, ọrùnmọdò (Yorubaland), essang, ezezang and njasang. Two varieties of the tree species are recognized R.

chemical compound

thumb|Gummy bears made with polydextrose Polydextrose is a synthetic polymer of glucose. It is a food ingredient classified as soluble fiber by the US FDA as well as Health Canada, . It is frequently used to increase the dietary fiber content of food, to replace sugar, and to reduce calories and fat content. It is a multi-purpose food ingredient synthesized from dextrose (glucose), plus about 10 percent sorbitol and 1 percent citric acid. Its E number is E1200. The FDA approved it in 1981.

polysaccharide used as a food additive

Chondrin is a bluish-white gelatin-like substance, being a protein-carbohydrate complex and can be obtained by boiling cartilage in water. The cartilage is a connective tissue that contains cells embedded in a matrix of chondrin. Chondrin is made up of two proteins chondroalbunoid and chondromucoid.

mutation in Zea mays

Gulaman, in Filipino cuisine, is a bar, or powdered form, of dried agar or carrageenan extracted from edible seaweed used to make jelly-like desserts. In common usage, it also usually refers to the refreshment ''sago't gulaman, sometimes referred to as samalamig'', sold at roadside stalls and vendors.

chemical compound

spicy herb made from the dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree

chemical compound