Unlike ‘pure’ mannans, galactomannans are soluble in water, the solubility depending not only on the degree of substitution of the mannan backbone, but also on the distribution of galactosyl substituents along the backbone. The DP values for galactomannan vary widely, that of guar having a DP of 20,000 while the galactomannan from Sophora japonica seeds has a DP of 30-50 (Avigad and Dey. 1997). A considerable number of species in the family Leguminosae have