E 410 vs. E 412: what the EC says (II. Identification)

B. Microscopical identification

(Place someÖcontaining 0.5% iodine andÖand examine under the microscope.)

Locust bean gum contains long stretched tubiform cells, separated or highly interspaced. Their brown contents are much less regularly formed in guar gum. Guar gum shows close groups of round to pear shaped cells. Their contents are yellow to brown.

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Notes:

Following the official methods, LBG and guar gum preparations can be stained and observed under the microscope. As shown in this slide, these two gums show clearly different structures which can help to identify them.