Can I Use and Cook With Gellan Gum?

if you’re in need of binding ingredients together to create fluid textures, especially in any vegan recipes, it can make a good natural alternative when cooking or baking.

Gellan gum is used with liquids to dissolve it. The liquid can either be cold or hot. 
Look for either high-acyl gellan or low-acyl gellan. Here is a bit about how they differ:

· High-acyl is opaque, while low-acyl is clear.

· Both types make recipes more gel-like but don’t change the flavor of the ingredients in the recipes much.

· Use low-acyl gellan gum to create textures that are firmer and more brittle, versus high-acyl gellan gum to form softer and more elastic textures that have a higher viscosity and “creamy” mouthfeel. It’s also possible to combine the two types to create the exact desired texture that’s somewhere in the middle.

· Gellan will disperse in cold water, but it’s easier if you use warm to hot water or combine it with ingredients like a source of sugar, alcohol or glycerin.

· According to the Molecular Recipes website, chefs have found that high-acyl gellan gum typically hydrates at 185°F/85°C, gels from 158-176°F/70-80°C, and melts from 160-167°F/71-75°C.

· Low-acyl tends to react to lower temperatures. It typically hydrates between 167-203°F/75-95°C, gels from 50-122°F/10-50°C, and melts from 176-284°F/80-140°C.

· High-acyl gellan is freeze/thaw-stable , but usually low-acyl gellan is not.

· High-acyl gellan will tolerate up to 50 percent alcohol.

You only need a very small amount of gellan gum to work. Look for products in the concentration range of 0.2 percent to 1.0 percent gellan gum if you’re using it in recipes. Use a very tiny amount to start (start with a small pinch, less than half teaspoon), adding more as you go depending on the texture you’re looking for and the size of the recipe. Keep it mind it works quickly and will gel recipes very fast, so less is more!


PREVIOUS:Gellan Gum, one of the best hydrocolloids
NEXT:Gellan gum with good thermal stability and can withstand high temperature?