cellulose, they are partly soluble in water, and therefore contribute to the softening of cooked vegetables and fruits Pectin is abundant enough to be extracted from citrus fruits and apples and used to thicken fruit syrups into jams and jellies These carbohydrates are described in detail in chapter 5 Inulin Inulin is a polymer of fructose sugars, from a handful to hundreds per molecule Inulin is a form of energy storage and a source of antifreeze (sugars lower the freezing point of a water solution) in members of the onion and lettuce families, notably garlic and the sunchoke Like the oligosaccharides, inulin is not digestible, and so feeds bacteria in our large intestine and generates gas Plant Gums There are a number of other plant carbohydrates that cooks and manufacturers have found useful for thickening and gelling liquid foods, helping to stabilize emulsions, and producing smoother consistencies in frozen goods and candies Like the cell-wall cements, they’re generally complex polymers of several different sugars or related carbohydrates They include: Agarose, alginates, and carrageenans, cell-wall polymers from various seaweeds Gum arabic, which exudes from cuts in various species of Acacia trees Gum tragacanth, an exudate from various species of Astralagus shrubs Guar gum, from seeds of a shrub in the bean family (Cyamopsis tetragonobola) Locust-bean gum, from seeds of the carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua Xanthan gum and gellan, polysaccharides produced by certain bacteria in industrial fermentation Proteins ... species of Astralagus shrubs Guar gum, from seeds of a shrub in the bean family (Cyamopsis tetragonobola) Locust-bean gum, from seeds of the carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua Xanthan gum and gellan, polysaccharides produced by certain bacteria in industrial...consistencies in frozen goods and candies Like the cell-wall cements, they’re generally complex polymers of several different sugars or related carbohydrates They include: Agarose, alginates, and carrageenans,... Agarose, alginates, and carrageenans, cell-wall polymers from various seaweeds Gum arabic, which exudes from cuts in various species of Acacia trees Gum tragacanth, an exudate from various species of Astralagus shrubs