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Review
. 2023 Jul;60(7):1860-1869.
doi: 10.1007/s13197-022-05465-6. Epub 2022 May 5.

Use of fenugreek seed gum in edible film formation: major drawbacks and applicable methods to overcome

Sandunika Senarathna  1 , Senevirathne Navaratne  1 , Indira Wickramasinghe  1 , Ranil Coorey  2
Affiliations
Review

Use of fenugreek seed gum in edible film formation: major drawbacks and applicable methods to overcome

Sandunika Senarathna et al. J Food Sci Technol. 2023 Jul.

Abstract

Researching on potential biopolymer sources with the aim of developing edible films with better mechanical and barrier properties has become innovative as it would be a key factor to minimize the use of synthetic polymers in food packaging. Therefore, different biopolymers such as galactomannan have been gaining attention recently. Fenugreek seed gum is a rich source of galactomannan which is minimally researched on its applicability in edible film making. The degree of galactose substitution and polymerization are the main factors that determine the functional properties of galactomannan. A strong and cohesive film matrix cannot be produced from fenugreek seed gum as its molecular interaction is weakened due to the high galactose substitution with a high galactose/mannose ratio, 1:1. Structural modifications of galactomannan in fenugreek seed gum will lead to films with the required mechanical properties. Hence, this review summarizes recent scientific studies on the limitations of fenugreek seed gum as a film forming agent and the specific modification techniques that can be applied in order to increase its film forming capability and performance.

Keywords: Edible film; Fenugreek; Galactomannan; Seed gum; Solvent casting.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interestNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Film forming process using solvent casting
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The main differences between gum and mucilage (Beikzadeh et al. 2020)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
a Fenugreek seeds. b Gum extracted from fenugreek seeds (Before drying)
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Chemical structure of fenugreek seed gum (Nieto 2009)
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Viscosity and solubility differences between guar gum and fenugreek seed gum (Haddarah et al. ; Liu et al. ; Pollard and Fischer 2006)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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