A growing population and concern over the sufficiency of natural resources for feeding this population has motivated researchers and industries to search for alternative and complementary sources of food ingredients and additives. Numerous plant species and parts of plants are explored as raw materials for food production. An interesting example is wood; to date, few wood-based additives or ingredients are authorized for food use. Wood hemicelluloses, such as softwood galactoglucomannans (GGM), constitute an abundant bioresource that shows a highly potential functionality in edible materials. GGM—“spruce gum”—acts as a multi-functional emulsifier and stabilizer, and it could be used in various processed food products, replacing less effective, conventional emulsifiers. Before new materials can be released onto the food market, their safety must be evaluated, according to legislation. This study focuses on the safety aspects that must be considered before polysaccharide- and phenolic-rich plant extracts can be awarded the status of authorized food ingredients. GGM is presented as a case study and examples are given of plant-based polysaccharides that are already authorized for food purposes. GGM, an abundant wood-based hydrocolloid, is envisioned as a future food ingredient that may pave the way for the safety evaluation and commercialization of other potential polysaccharide-based plant extracts.

Safety considerations of softwood galactoglucomannans in food use

255th National Meeting (2018)

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