Utilization of Carob Waste and Circular Economy
When carob is processed, gum is obtained from the kernel, flour, molasses or sugar syrup is obtained from the fruit flesh; each of these processes leaves behind by-products such as pulp, seed shell and germ. The circular economy approach aims to evaluate these streams as raw materials for new products instead of being seen as waste.
Read MoreUse of Carob in Animal Feed
Carob was a fruit fed to animals in the Mediterranean basin long before it entered the human diet. Today, carob pods, kibble, pulp and germ flour remaining after obtaining gum from the seed are among the raw materials used in the feed industry. These products, which are rich in sugar and low in protein; It attracts attention especially as an energy source and flavor enhancer.
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Bioplastic and New Materials from Carob
The search for alternatives to fossil-based plastics makes plant raw materials valuable again in terms of materials science. Carob is a remarkable plant in this respect: The gum obtained from its seed is a natural polymer, the fruit flesh is a raw material rich in sugar, and the by-products produced during processing are a source of fiber and tannins. These components; It is being investigated in areas such as coatings, adhesives, hydrogels and biofuels.
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Carob in Mediterranean Cuisine
Carob is one of the rare fruits that grows on almost every coast of the Mediterranean and has therefore become the common culinary heritage of the region. It turns into syrup and pastel in Cyprus, syrup and bread in Crete, fasting desserts in Malta, molasses with tahini and Ramadan drink in the Levant; in Spain, it takes place both in the memory of the famine years and in modern food research.
Read MoreBioethanol and Fermentation Products from Carob
The fleshy part of the carob fruit contains up to half of its dry weight in sugar. This high and easily extractable sugar content makes carob an interesting raw material not only for food, but also for industrial fermentation. In the last three decades, numerous studies have been carried out to obtain different fermentation products from carob, especially bioethanol, citric acid, lactic acid and mannitol.
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Carob Research Institutions and Scientific Studies
For many years, carob was seen as a "wild-picked, little-known" product; today, it has become an increasingly researched species in the fields of agriculture, forestry, food science and sustainability. Research institutes, universities and development agencies affiliated to the ministry in Turkey; In the world, universities of Mediterranean countries, international organizations and European Union-supported projects are working on carob.
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Carob in Cosmetics and Skin Care
Although carob is mostly known as food, gum obtained from its seed and extracts prepared from its fruit are also of interest to the cosmetics industry. Gum can be used as a thickener, emulsion stabilizer, and film-forming ingredient in creams and gels; extracts, on the other hand, are studied in laboratory studies due to the polyphenols they contain.
Read MoreWhat is Carob Vinegar?
Carob vinegar is a fruit vinegar produced by fermenting the sugary liquid obtained from the carob fruit first with alcohol and then with acetic acid. The high sugar content of carob makes it a suitable raw material for fermentation. In Turkey and Mediterranean countries, there are carob vinegars produced both at home and commercially.
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What is Carob Fiber and Where is it Used?
In addition to sugar, the pulp of the carob fruit contains a significant amount of dietary fiber and polyphenols. After the sugars are removed with water, the remaining, insoluble fiber-rich part can be processed into a functional food ingredient called "carob fiber". What distinguishes this fiber from many other fiber sources is that it carries a high amount of polyphenols due to its structure.
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Carob Bars and Snacks
Carob; It is a versatile raw material that can play different roles in snack products with its powder, molasses, crumbs and fiber. It can be used as a sweetener and flavoring in energy bars, as a binder in molasses form, as a cocoa alternative coating with its powder, and as a fiber source in extruded products. Its caffeine-free nature and natural sweetness also make it interesting for snack manufacturers.
Read MoreWhat is Carob Peel and Where is it Used?
The expression "carob peel" is often used in everyday language for the fleshy, sweet part of the fruit that remains after the seeds are removed. In technical language, when the word "shell" is mentioned, the hard, brown cover surrounding the seed comes to mind. When these two concepts are confused with each other, both the consumer and the raw material buyer may refer to the wrong product.
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Carob Extraction Technologies
What products such as carob must, molasses, syrup and extract have in common is that the soluble components in the fruit are transferred to a solvent, most often water. This stage is called extraction and the method used; It directly affects sugar yield, amount of phenolic compounds, taste, color and production time.
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What Causes Color Differences in Carob Products?
Of the two carob powders sold under the same name, one can be light brown and the other can be almost as dark as cocoa. Similar differences are seen in carob crumb, molasses and even the gum obtained from the bean. This often brings to the mind of the consumer the questions "which one is real?" or "which one is of better quality?".
Read MoreCarob Sugars: Sucrose, Glucose, and Fructose
The most distinctive feature that distinguishes carob from other leguminous fruits is the high sugar content of the pulp. Most of this sweetness comes from sucrose; glucose and fructose are found in lower proportions, but in proportions that affect the taste and processing behavior of the product.
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Carob Extract: Is There a Difference Between "Ekstrakt" and "Ekstre"?
The expressions "carob extract" and "carob extract" are used side by side in the market, product catalogs and scientific publications; this leads many buyers to think that they are two separate products. In fact, both words are the Turkish equivalents of the English concept of "extract" and describe the product formed by the components extracted from carob with the help of a solvent.
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Structure of the Carob Pod: Pulp and Seed Ratio
Carob fruit is a legume fruit from a botanical point of view; Although it looks like a single piece from the outside, it contains two main components with different economic value: sweet and fibrous pulp and hard-shelled seeds. In scientific sources, it is reported that the pulp makes up most of the weight of the pod, while the seed usually has a share ranging from around 10 percent to 25 percent.
Read MoreShelf Life and Storage Conditions of Carob Products
Carob products are generally low-moisture and durable products; however, the risk threatening the shelf life of each is different. Moisture absorption and clumping in powder products, insect infestation and mold in broken and fruit, and HMF formation that increases with time and temperature in molasses come to the fore.
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Carob Coffee: The Decaffeinated Coffee Alternative
Carob coffee is a hot drink prepared not from coffee beans, but from roasted and ground carob fruit. Although it has "coffee" in its name, it has nothing to do with the coffee plant; it is called by this name because of its dark coffee-like color, roasted aroma and brewing. Its lack of caffeine and theobromine makes it an interesting alternative, especially for those who want to avoid stimulants.
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Carob Fruit: How to Eat It, Nutritional Value, Benefits and How to Choose It
Carob fruit (harnup, a regional Turkish name for carob) is a legume pod that ripens and dries on the tree, with a sweet, fibrous pulp and hard seeds. In this guide we explain, with sources, the difference between unripe and ripe fruit, how carob fruit is eaten, its nutritional value, the differences between grafted and wild fruit, ways to use it at home, how to choose and store good fruit, and what to look for when buying.
Read MoreHow is Carob Processed? Crushing, Separating and Grinding
Carob pods are not used directly in industry as they come from the field. First, it is selected and cleaned, then broken and the kernels are separated from the fleshy part. This single step divides the pod into two separate product branches: broken (kibble), powder and molasses from the fleshy part; carob gum and germ flour are obtained from the kernel.
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Dried Carob Fruit Buying Guide
Dried carob is a fruit that is offered for sale by collecting and cleaning the pods that ripen and dry on the tree. It can be consumed as a snack and is also the raw material of products such as molasses, powder and broken. Therefore, both a person who buys a few kilos for consumption at home and a business that buys by tons for production should pay attention to the same basic quality marks.
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Carob Products Guide: Which Product Is For What?
Carob is one of the rare agricultural products that can produce a large number of products from a single fruit. Powder, broken, molasses and extract from the fleshy part of the fruit; flour rich in gum and protein from the seed; honey produced by bees is obtained from the flowers. This diversity can also make it difficult to choose the right product.
Read MoreWhat is Carob Extract?
Carob Extract, carob extract in Turkish, is a concentrated extract obtained by taking certain components from the fleshy fruit of Ceratonia siliqua L. fruit by controlled extraction method.
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What Is Carob (Harnup)? Benefits, Nutritional Value, Products and Sales
Carob (harnup) is the sweet, fiber-rich, caffeine-free fruit of Ceratonia siliqua, a tree native to the Mediterranean. In this comprehensive, fully referenced guide we explain what carob is, where it grows, its nutritional value, what scientific studies say about its benefits, all of its products from the pod to the seed, and what to look for when buying it.
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