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Plant hydrocolloids dominate the food industry as thickeners, gelling agents and viscosity modifiers. These hydrocolloids are mostly sourced from tropic plants. Nigeria, by virtue of its location in the tropics, is a harbinger of these plants which are distributed across its six ecological zones, from the mangrove rain forest to the arid zone. These hydrocolloid-rich plants are under-utilized having only served as thickeners in local cuisines. Lack of information on the properties of the hydrocolloids from these plants has made them to remain largely commercially unexplored.

Among the plants studied are Brachystigia eurycoma, Prosopis africana, Afzelia africana, Mucuna flagellipes, Detarium microcarpum, Adansonia digitata, Irvingia gabonensis, Gliricidia sepium, Peltrophorum pterocarpum, Bauhinia monandra, Cola milleni, Caesalpinea pulcherrima, Delonix regia and Leucaena leucocephala.

This study evaluates the potential of these plants as sources of industrial hydrocolloids. We have examined the endosperm-seed ratio, yield, rheological and molecular properties of the hydrocolloids. Our results show that some of these hydrocolloids possess novel properties which can be exploited in the food industry.