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Ingredient file // Fiber

Locust Bean Gum

A wet food thickener with unproven gut benefits

Locust bean gum is a soluble fiber milled from the inner part of carob seeds. It thickens wet food and helps give it shape. Dog gut bacteria ferment it in lab tests, but feeding studies have not shown a gut health benefit.

What it is
A powder from the inner part of carob seeds that thickens wet food when mixed with water.
Made from
The inner part of carob seeds
Main job
Thickens wet food
Typical amount
Not published
Watch for
Reduced appetite or weight after a food change
Not the same as
Ground carob pods

Our read // In our catalog

In 1 of every 79 foods we track

Share of foods that list it

1%

32 of the 2,523 foods with an ingredient list on file, from 8 brands. All wet dog food.

Each square is 1% of the catalog

Where it sits on the label

Median position 12.5. In the top five of 0 foods, so it is usually a minor ingredient.

Top five List position, heaviest first

Above the salt

22%

Usually listed after the salt, which caps it at roughly 1% of the recipe in 78% of foods.

Price per lb

Foods with it $3.36
All foods $3.23

Median of the cheapest bag price across 2 priced foods, 4% above the catalog. The price is the food's, not the ingredient's.

Who leans on it

41%

of the foods that list it are from Purina. 8 brands use it in total.

What it is

How it is made

Carob processors separate the pod pulp from its hard seeds. Gum makers remove each seed's coat and germ, then mill the fiber-rich inner part into a powder for food plants.6

  1. 01 // Source Carob pods The pods contain hard seeds surrounded by pulp that is separated during processing.
  2. 02 // Process Seed coats removed Heat or a controlled acid treatment loosens the tough coats for removal.
  3. 03 // Process Germs separated The peeled seeds are split, and the crumbled germs are sifted away from the inner parts.
  4. 04 // Output Gum powder The remaining inner parts are milled into a fine powder for mixing into food.

What is in it

Composition, dry matter

92.9

% fiber

Total dietary fiber in one tested gum sample. The powder is chiefly fiber, with little protein to contribute to a recipe.

Total dietary fiber 92.9%2
Crude protein 4.9-6.4%5
Ash 1.1-3.5%5

The fiber figure comes from one sample; the protein and ash ranges come from two. Remaining seed coat or germ, and further purification, change what stays in the powder.2,5,6

Why it is in the bag

What the manufacturer gets

  1. 01

    Thickens wet food

    Its long fiber chains thicken water. In a canned food test, a formula containing locust bean gum and guar made a thicker batter before cooking.3

  2. 02

    Shapes the finished food

    Gum blends give canned food structure after heating. The tested locust bean gum blend produced an intermediate firmness, so the final texture depends on its partners and the recipe.3,4

  3. 03

    Treats a large batch

    Carob gum thickens water at low concentrations. A manufacturer therefore needs relatively little powder to change a batch's texture, though the sources do not show its purchase price.7

How much A canned food test used 0.5% locust bean gum with guar; a dog feeding trial tested 0.2 to 0.5% locust bean meal and carrageenan blends.1,3

Our read // The claims

What the evidence supports

Strong: controlled studies in dogs agree. Some: small or mixed dog data. Thin: mechanism or lab work only. None: nothing, or the evidence points the other way.

  1. Brands say

    Thickens and shapes canned food

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A canned food experiment tested 0.5% locust bean gum with guar and found thicker batter. The gum was not tested alone in that recipe, and EFSA found the evidence insufficient to judge its effect across complex pet foods.3,4

  2. Brands say

    Makes your dog's stools firmer

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    In a crossover feeding trial, locust bean meal and carrageenan blends at 0.2 and 0.5% only trended toward lower fecal scores. The significant comparisons involved other gelling agents, and the trial did not isolate the locust bean ingredient.1

  3. Brands say

    Acts as a prebiotic for gut health

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    A lab test using fecal bacteria from 3 dogs found fermentation and fatty acid production after 24 hours. The live-dog diets used fiber blends, so the study did not show a gut health benefit from locust bean gum in wet food.2

  4. Owners say

    Natural gum is harmless at any amount

    Outruns the evidence

    Evidence

    1. Strong
    2. Some
    3. Thin
    4. None

    EFSA calculated a safe concentration of 1,320 mg/kg complete feed for dogs. In a 60-dog, 28-day high-dose trial, food intake fell and weight loss increased with dose. Natural origin does not make every amount safe.4

Straight answers

What owners ask

  1. Q01

    Is it just filler?

    No

    It thickens wet food and helps shape the finished product, which is a real manufacturing job. Its fiber content alone gives no reason to expect a gut health benefit at the amounts used for texture.2,3

  2. Q02

    Does it come from locusts?

    No

    It comes from carob seeds. Processors remove the tough coat and germ, then grind the inner part into powder. It is different from ground carob pods.6

  3. Q03

    Should I avoid it?

    Usually no

    Its place on a label does not reveal the dose. EFSA calculated a safe feed concentration for dogs, while its high-dose trial gives reason to watch appetite and weight after changing foods.4

Who uses it

Brands, best sellers and the company it keeps

Top brands, by foods that list it

  1. Purina 13
  2. Merrick 8
  3. Bil-Jac 4
  4. Tiki Dog 3
  5. Wellness 1
  6. Fromm 1
  7. Hill's 1
  8. Iams 1

Usually listed with, share of the foods that list it

  1. Chicken 75%
  2. Chicken Broth 50%
  3. Liver 41%
  4. Salt 41%
  5. Carrots 38%
  6. Natural Flavor 34%
  7. Guar Gum 28%
  8. Potassium Chloride 28%
  9. Minerals 25%
  10. Beef 25%
  11. Wheat Gluten 22%
  12. Brown Rice 22%

Our read // On the bag

Treat it as texture, then judge the food

Locust bean gum low on a wet food list signals texture work, especially near other gums. Read the main ingredients and nutritional analysis first. Watch your dog's appetite, weight and stool after a food change. Give no extra credit for a prebiotic claim without a feeding trial.

Sources

What we read

Checked October 1, 2026.

  1. 1 Selected gelling agents in canned dog food affect nutrient digestibilities and fecal characteristics of ileal cannulated dogs Archiv für Tierernahrung, 2002 // Journal
  2. 2 Dietary fiber for dogs: IV. In vitro fermentation of selected fiber sources by dog fecal inoculum and in vivo digestion and metabolism of fiber-supplemented diets Journal of Animal Science, 1995 // Journal
  3. 3 The Effects of Select Hydrocolloids on the Processing of Pâté-Style Canned Pet Food Foods, 2021 // Journal
  4. 4 Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of locust bean gum for cats, dogs, pigs and poultry (FEDIAF) EFSA Journal, 2026 // Journal
  5. 5 Carob (Ceratonia siliqua) Feedipedia (INRAE, CIRAD, AFZ, FAO), 2012 // Database
  6. 6 Carob bean gum: Chemical and Technical Assessment Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, 2008 // Regulator
  7. 7 International trade in non-wood forest products: An overview - V. Plant gums Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, n.d. // Government
An ingredient on its own tells you very little. What matters is how much of it there is and where it sits in the list. That is why we weigh the top five rather than reacting to any single name further down. Back to the wiki

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