Gum Arabic

By grade, there are two main types of gum arabic used as hydrocolloids: Acacia Senegal and Acacia Seyal. Senegal grade is an emulsifier, much used in beverage emulsions. Seyal grade is used in confectionery, coatings and as a soluble dietary fiber.

Gum arabic, also known as acacia gum, is a natural gum consisting of the hardened sap of various species of the acacia tree. Originally, gum arabic was collected from Acacia nilotica which was called the “gum arabic tree”; in the present day, gum arabic is predominantly collected from two related species, namely Acacia senegal and Vachellia (Acacia) seyal. Producers harvest the gum commercially from wild trees, mostly in Sudan (80%) and throughout the Sahel, from Senegal to Somalia—though it is historically cultivated in Arabia and West Asia.

Gum arabic is used primarily in the food industry as a stabilizer. It is edible and has E E414. Gum arabic is a key ingredient in traditional lithogra and is used in printing, paint production, glue, cosmetics and various industrial applications, including viscosity control in inks and in textile industries, though less expensive materials compete with it for many of these roles.

Gum Arabic is a leguminous tree species that is well adapted to Sudan and Sahalian agro-ecology of Africa. There are over 300 species in this family. Notable among them is Acacia Senegal because it produces grade 1 quality gum. Its distribution is localized in Africa.

Here in Nigeria, we have it in the finest of quality and in large quantity.