Gum arabic, also known as acacia gum, arabic gum, gum acacia,
acacia, Senegal gum and Indian gum, and by other names, is a
natural gum consisting of the hardened sap of various species of
the acacia tree. Gum arabic is collected from acacia species,
predominantly Acacia senegal and Vachellia (Acacia) seyal. The term
"gum arabic" does not indicate a particular botanical source. In a
few cases soâ€called "gum arabic" may not even have been collected
from Acacia species, but may originate from Combretum, Albizia or
some other genus. The gum is harvested commercially from wild
trees, mostly in Sudan (*0%) and throughout the Sahel, from Senegal
to Somalia—though it is historically cultivated in Arabia and West
Asia.
Gum arabic is a complex mixture of glycoproteins and
polysaccharides predominantly consisting of arabinose and
galactose. It is soluble in water, edible, and used primarily in
the food industry as a stabilizer, with EU E number E**4. Gum
arabic is a key ingredient in traditional lithography 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.
