Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XX
Written by Selda BULCA
Carob (Ceratonia silliqua) is an evergreen, drought resistant tree. It has a good nutritional value, a long shelf-life (2-3 years) and it is relatively cheap. Due to its high sugar content, carob is naturally sweet. This property makes it usefulin, as an antioxidant in different foods, as a thickener, stabilizer or flavourant in food applications, in ethanol, lactic acid production, in medical applications, in cosmetic emulsionsetc. In food research, new product development of carob could contribute greatly to the promotion of carob as a food source and hence towards its commercial value. Carob’s application in the food industry is mainly focused on the extraction of carob bean gum (locust bean gum). The use of the deseeded pod in food is, however, minimal and thus carob’s economical market value is low. The current world production of carob extracts is estimated at 315000 tons per year, with Spain being the main producer and exporter (42%) and followed by Turkey with 5% in the Mediterranean and Aegean region. This review is focused mainly on the properties of carob tree, chemical composition, human and animal nutrition, medical applications, health benefits, polyphenol content, and antioxidant properties of carob pod and the use of carob pod in different areas.
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