Tara gum is the endosperm of the seeds of the tara tree (Cesalpinia spinosa lin). The plant is native to South America where it grows as tree or bush. Today, tara is also cultivated in Morocco and East Africa.

Like guar gum and carob bean gum, tara gum is a galactomannan, comprising approximately 25% of galactose (for comparison, guar gum E412 contains about 34%, carob bean gum about 20% of galactose)

Tara gum is partly soluble in cold water. The solution is more viscous than a guar gum or carob bean gum solution of the same concentration. Like carob bean gum, it has a gelling effect together with xanthan and increases the gelling properties of agar (see E406) and carrageenan (see E407)