Product developers typically stabilize dairy systems in order to provide thickness, thus increasing viscosity; retard or prevent separation of dispersed components such as cocoa powder, fruit puree, etc; inhibit crystallization; and/or form gels. Food-grade gums are capable of all this, among other functions.
Gums are classified by source, such as seaweed (i.e., alginate and carrageenan), plant seeds (i.e., guar and locust bean), plant extracts and exudates (i.e., pectin), microbial (i.e., xanthan) and various cellulose derivatives. Though most have application in dairy systems, some are more commonly used than others.