Topics in Conservation Biology 28 (McCleary & Matheson, 1976) or barium complexes (Kapoor, 1972) has also been used; isopropanol is the best method for industrial processes (Bouzouita et al., 2007). The aim of this study is to assess the variation of physical and chemical traits (moisture, ash, pH, protein, acid-insoluble matter, fibres, total phenols, sugars contents and mannose/galactose ratio of crude samples) among Tunisian natural populations. The rheological behaviour of the purified and crude bean gum is also assessed. Our study is an extension of those performed to assess the genetic diversity of Tunisian carob populations (Afif et al., 2006) (via izozymes and molecular markers) in order to elaborate conservation and product improvement strategies.