WHAT ARE THE MAIN APPLICATIONS FOR GUM ARABIC?

Gum Arabic enjoys a remarkable diversity of applications and this is mainly due to many of its desirable Physico-chemical properties as mentioned earlier. These are the main application forms:

• Emulsifier
• Formulation Aid
• Surface Finishing Agent
• Firming Agent
• Adhesive
• Soluble Fiber Source
• Processing Aid
• Stabilizer
• Thickener
• Texturizer
• Plasticiser
• Detergent

1. SWEETS 🍬

Gum Arabic has been used in the confectionery industry for hundreds of years and still holds a unique position thanks to its physical properties and unobtrusive taste and odour.

The gum performs 4 important Functions:

1. To retard or prevent sugar crystallisation.
2. As a boundary film in glazing systems.
3. As a texture modifier.
4. To emulsify and keep fatty components evenly distributed

Caramels and Toffees

In confections that contain fat as caramel and toffee, Gum Arabic keeps the fat uniformly distributed throughout the products, preventing it from rising to the surface where it causes problems as an easily oxidised, greasy film.

Reduced Sugar and No-Sugar Confectionery

Reduced calorie (35% reduction) nougat candies have been made by incorporating up to 27% each of Gum Arabic and microcrystalline cellulose in the standard nought composition. Calorie reductions of over 50% have been achieved in a toffee by using high levels of Gum Arabic with microcrystalline cellulose.

Products 🍭

Coated Products (dragees, chewing gum, chocolate centres, nut centres, coated almonds, chocolate coated peanuts and raisins) Chewing Gum, Dry Roasted peanuts, Spicy nuts and more.

2. BAKERY 🥐

Gum Acacia is used in the baking industry for its comparative water absorption & viscoelastic properties, high soluble fibre source. In addition to its favourable adhesive properties for use in glazes and toppings and imparts smoothness when used as an emulsion stabiliser.

Benefits of Adding Gum Arabic to Bread

• Increases water absorption.
• Increases the maximum dough height and bread volume.
• Improved toasting characteristics.
• Helped with gluten effect.
• Adds soluble dietary fibre improved label claims.

Gluten-Free Bread 🍞

Gluten-free bread requires polymeric substances that mimic the viscoelastic properties of gluten in bread dough. Research studies have been successfully formulated Gluten-free bread by incorporated Gum Arabic, Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC)/Guar Gum and egg albumen into non-wheat flours.

Bread for Frozen Dough 🥯

Also, the research shows incorporating CMC and Gum Arabic into the bread frozen dough reduced the ice crystallization and improved the quality of the produced bread.

3. BEVERAGES 🥤

Gum Arabic is widely used in beverages. It is a hardly replaceable ingredient as it is well compatible with beverages used in a process-formulating and as a functional ingredient.

Source

Liquid Flavour Emulsions

Gum Arabic is widely used to prepare and stabilise essential oil emulsions (orange, lemon. Lime, cherry and cola), which are supplied to the soft drinks industry.

Spray Dried Flavour Encapsulation

Gum Arabic is universally recognised as an excellent encapsulation material for flavours because of its emulsification properties, low viscosity, bland flavour and for its protective action against flavour oxidation during processing and storage.

Nutritional Drinks

Gum Arabic is a convenient way to add soluble fibre source for the fibre enriched nutritional drinks.

The FDA Daily Recommended Value (DRV) for fibre is 25 grams, wish formulation requirements based on serving sizes. Products labelled ‘Good Source’ or ‘Fibre Fortified’ must contain 2.5g (10% of DRV per serving, while products to be labelled ‘’High Fibre’’ must contain 5g (20% of DRV) per serving.

4. FOOD APPLICATIONS 🍝

Food Colours

Gum Arabic is used as a base for the preparation of spray-dried colour oleoresins such as annatto, paprika and turmeric. It can also be sued to prepare and stabilise liquid colour emulsions.

Nutritional Foods

The use of Gum Arabic affords all the benefits associated with soluble fibre without the adverse effects on the organoleptic properties of the foods.

Fruit Postharvest 🥭

Research shows the use of 10% Gum Arabic solution increased and enhanced the shelf life of Mango, Tomato and Green Pepper by more than 20 days. Source

5. PHARMACEUTICAL 🥼

Gum Arabic has been used successfully in a variety of pharmaceutical products because of its following functional properties:

1. As a binder and as a glaze for pharmaceutical tablets.
2. In syrups used for their soothing and protective Action and a suspending agent.
3. As an emulsifying agent.
4. As one of the main ingredients of medicated couch drops and lozenges.

Protective Coatings 💊

For the encapsulation of oil-soluble vitamins. Vitamin A stabilised by spray-drying it in an emulsion containing antioxidant, fat, lactose, and Gum Arabic to give an encapsulated powder retaining 85% of its vitamin activity after 12 months storage at room temperature. Gum Arabic helps to protect unstable oils and flavours from the development of rancidity and off testes

Cosmetics 🧴

Gum Arabic used in lotions, protective creams, mascara, Moisturiser and Anti-aging, functioning as a stabiliser, increases viscosity, imparts spreading, properties, gives a protecting coating and gives a smooth feel.

6. INDUSTRIAL 🏭

Inks

Gum Arabic has been used in a variety of different types of inks because of its protective colloid properties, emulsifier and suspending agent.

Lithography

The Gum Arabic functions here are:

• Sensitizer for lithographic plate
• Elements in light-sensitive composition
• Used in fountain solution to moisten plates
• Protection of plate during storage

Water Colours 🎨

• Gum Arabic is traditionally used in watercolours as a binder because is highly soluble water, low in viscosity and when it dries, forms a thin layer that binds pigments to the paper surface.
• Gum Arabic increases the watercolour brilliancy gloss, transparency and give colours greater depth.

7. MISCELLANEOUS 👑

Gum Arabic used:

• As suspending and plasticiser agent for Ceramics and liquid cement mixes.
• Mixed with fireclay to seal the base of the containment tube in Fireworks/Pyrotechnics.
• In flotation in phosphate mining/ refinement.
• In insecticide sprays.

These are the main 6 properties and 7 uses of Gum Arabic.

If you are interested to know where you can buy Gum Arabic on a large scale for your business and manufacturing – contact us and we will help you with finding the best solution.

We deliver the best raw agro materials, measured against the toughest standards in the industry.

We monitor closely all the procedures from tree to the final product, keeping in mind our customer requirements as well as all the necessary details right from the countries of origin that give our products the competitive edge.

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