Locust bean gum

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Baby spit-up and stool³

  In infants, formula with locust bean gum cut spit-up and did not make stools looser.

• Benefit

  Gut comfort in preterm babies⁴

  In preterm babies, a locust bean gum formula was linked to better gut comfort and breathing, but more research is needed.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels⁵

  Eating locust bean gum in food lowered cholesterol and LDL in adults and children with high cholesterol.

Animal and lab studies only

• Concern

  Infant zinc levels⁸

  In piglet studies, locust bean gum lowered blood zinc levels, and for some infant exposures the safety margin stayed above 1.

• Concern

  Calcium absorption in babies⁹

  Locust bean gum in infant formula trapped calcium, which may affect how much babies absorb.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Gut and heart health⁶

  Locust bean gum is a fiber that may help with bowel movements, diabetes, heart disease and colon cancer.

How it’s made and used

• Low-fat sausage quality²

  Adding locust bean gum with xanthan helped low-fat sausages hold water and fat, and tasters liked them up to 1%.

• Food texture and stability⁷

  Locust bean gum is added to dairy, frozen and baked foods to improve thickness, texture and stability.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 2025

  No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).