Gellan gum is a gelling agent used in various food and beverage products, including nata de coco drinks. It's a polysaccharide produced by bacteria through fermentation and is known for its ability to form gels at low concentrations. Here's how gellan gum is typically used in nata de coco drinks:

  1. Texture Improvement: Gellan gum helps to stabilize the texture of the nata de coco pieces, ensuring they remain firm and consistent throughout the drink.
  2. Suspension: It helps suspend the nata de coco pieces evenly throughout the beverage, preventing them from settling at the bottom.
  3. Stability: Gellan gum contributes to the overall stability of the drink, improving shelf life and maintaining a uniform appearance.

Gellan gum is considered safe for consumption and is often used in small amounts to achieve the desired texture and stability in food products.


Following are basic formulation for gellan gum used in Nata De Coco drink:

Ingredients: 

  • Low acyl Gellan gum: 0.02%-0.03% or High acyl gellan gum 0.03-0.04%, 
  • sodium citrate 0.1%, 
  • calcium lactate 0.1%-0.12%, 
  • potassium sorbate 0.02%, 
  • sugar 7%. 
  • Add citric acid to adjust PH

Steps: 

① Mix sugar, gellan gum, sodium citrate and potassium sorbate together and slowly pour into a beaker with deionized water.

② Heat and boil on the electric stove until the gellan gum is completely dissolved.

③ After the gellan gum is completely dissolved, add the calcium lactate solution dissolved in advance, stir well, drop the temperature to about 70℃, add the citric acid solution, and adjust the PH 

④ Pour the prepared solution into the sample bottle containing coconut, pasteurize for 25 minutes, cool to room temperature, shake, let stand, observe the suspension stability;

Note: 

1. According to the size of suspended particles, appropriately increase the amount of gellan gum added.

2. Pay attention to the use of deionized water, groundwater contains metal ions, easy to react with gellan gum to produce flocculent precipitation