{"id":20966,"date":"2023-02-16T17:19:11","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T09:19:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/?p=20966"},"modified":"2023-02-18T18:45:42","modified_gmt":"2023-02-18T10:45:42","slug":"gum-arabic-and-its-uses-in-food-e414","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thefooduntold.com\/food-additives\/gum-arabic-and-its-uses-in-food-e414\/","title":{"rendered":"Gum Arabic And Its Uses In Food (E414)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Gum<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Certain gum products are exudates produced in response to injury by plants primarily found in Africa and Asia. “Exudates” refer to gums that are released or exuded in reaction to damage to plant tissue. They produce highly tough, shiny nodules or flakes that can be harvested when exposed to the atmosphere. Gums are complex heteropolysaccharides, and gum Arabic (also called gum acacia) is an example. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gum Arabic is the dried exudate of the acacia tree. It is a polysaccharide salt that contains ions of calcium, magnesium, and potassium. It is neutral or slightly acidic. Gum Arabic is employed in a wide range of industries. It is mostly utilized in the production of food, where it serves as a functional ingredient. It is one of the few gums that, in order to increase viscosity and serve as an emulsifier<\/a> and crystallization inhibitor, requires a high concentration. Gelatin and numerous other proteins combine to generate coacervates with gum Arabic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a food additive, it is denoted by the E number E414. It is also used in manufacturing of hairsprays, face masks, and setting lotions, among others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since it can form a gel, it helps emulsify liquids, improve mouthfeel, or encapsulate flavor molecules. This is why softdrinks contain gum Arabic\u2014it binds the sugar so it is uniformly distributed, and not precipitate to the bottom of the can.<\/gwmw><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s further discuss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOW IT IS MADE <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sudan, Chad, and Nigeria are the two most significant growing regions for species that provide the best gum. In fact, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations<\/a>, the three African nations control 95% of the world’s production of gum Arabic. Gum Arabic is frequently made in the form of a purified, spray-dried product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gum Arabic is the resin that seeps from tree stems and branches of acacia tree. The gooey, sticky material dries on the branches to form hard nodules. Production of the gum starts by carefully removing portions of the bark without harming the tree. The hardened saps are then harvested by hand and sorted according to size and color. This is the traditional way of harvesting produces the best gum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the gum is made by extracting the tears from the gum tree, some gum has particles of bark in it. Because of this, the gum can absorb the bark’s color and astringent flavors. Furthermore, sand from the desert frequently contaminates raw gum. There is a need to purify the gum to remove bark and sand, especially if it is to be used as an ingredient in food. Filtering and centrifuging help removes insoluble materials. Filtration and centrifugation are effective separation techniques in the manufacturing industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After eliminating the contaminants, the gum is gently heated and dissolved in water to get a solution that contains between 30% and 50% gum. Acacia gum is far more soluble than other gums. If necessary, a 50% solution in cold water can be made. The viscosity of the solution decreases as the temperature rises, and is pH-dependent. Viscosity is at its highest at pH 6, although it decreases between pH 9 and below pH 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forms of gum Arabic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gum Arabic comes in several forms: raw, powder, kibbled, and spray-dried. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The raw form of gum Arabic is used in the manufacture of wine and confectionery. It is the form that has gone through simplest form of preparation\u2014sorting and visual inspection only.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

kibbled gum Arabic is gum in granular form. This is also used in wine and confectionery. Gum Arabic in powder form is also used confectionery by dusting the manufacturing surface. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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You might also like: How To Soften Hard Brown Sugar?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Spray-dried gum, which is commonly used nowadays, also provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with a clean, ready-to-use product. However, the price of instant gum is higher. If a confectionery company employs gum as a minor ingredient, the capital and labor costs of purifying the raw material may be extremely expensive. A company that uses gum Arabic as a major\u00a0component, on the other hand, may reach a different result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GUM ARABIC CHEMISTRY<\/strong> AND FOOD<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Gum Arabic is a heterogeneous substance that is made up of two major components. One is formed of polysaccharide chains with little or no protein, and accounts for around 70% of the gum. The other portion has greater molecular weight compounds with protein as an intrinsic part of their structure.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Acacia
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In terms of protein composition, the protein-polysaccharide fraction is diverse. The polysaccharide structures are covalently connected to the protein component by coupling to hydroxyproline and, possibly, serine units. These are the two major amino acids of the polypeptide. Other amino acids includes proline, aspartame, and threonine. The overall protein content is roughly 2% by weight, but can have up to 25%. Polysaccharide structures, whether coupled to protein or not, are highly branched acidic arabinogalactans with the approximate composition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n