What is Gum Arabic?

Gum Arabic, (or commonly referred to as gum acacia or acacia gum) is a natural gum consisting of the hardened sap of various species of the acacia tree. Acacia gum is primarily used in the food industry as a stabilizer, pharmaceuticals as a demulcent, binder and emulsifying agent, texturizer in sugars and many other usages.

Tapping is the process of extraction (or exudation) where once the gum is exuded from the tree, it then dries and is gathered by harvesters for refinement and processing. Commercial grade availability of gum Arabic is only harvested in Central Africa where the acacia trees exist in their most natural environment.

Gum Arabic Uses

Gum Arabic is used in a variety of ways – its used in beverage emulsions, food stabilizers, pharmaceuticals, confections, dietary fibers, coatings, and are used in daily foods like granola bars and soft drinks. Gum Arabic is widely known for being used as an emulsifier, binding the oil and water ingredients together, keeping the emulsions stable throughout the shelf life of various beverages. It is also used in certain foods acting as a stabilizer to help bind the foods together. It also helps give food certain texture, and is used as a source of soluble fiber.

Gum Arabic is included in many types of sodas found today. This additive absorbs liquid, which helps thicken the soda and gives it a richer feeling as it comes into contact with your tongue. The thicker texture can help the soda stick to your tongue for short periods of time which allows you to savor the sweetness for longer periods. Gum Arabic is also used as a stabilizer in beer which helps prevent the product from fermenting once the brew process is complete. In addition to sodas and beverages, it can be found in a variety of foods like seasoned nuts to help the coating stick, miscellaneous foods like mustard, cheeses, sorbets, breakfast cereals, breads and so forth.

Food Industry: in the food industry, acacia gum is used as a stabilizer, a thickener and/or an emulsifier agent (ie. soft drinks, syrups, gummy candies, creams etc).

Pharmaceutical Industry: in the pharmaceutical industry, acacia gum is used as an emulsifier and a demulcent. Pharmaceutical products that use Gum Acacia can be found in a variety of applications such as acting as a tablet binder, emulsifier, suspending agent or film forming agent.