Gum Arabic

Gum Arabic
Gum arabic or acacia gum is a plant exudates hydrocolloid isolated from certain species of the acacia tree. Its chemical makeup is based on a number of different neutral and acid sugar components arranged in a highly branched structure.

Although gum Arabic has a relatively high molecular weight, its viscosity profile is extremely low in comparison to other hydrocolloids. This is due to its highly branched structure which limits effective hydrate volume. Highly concentrated solutions of gum Arabic (up to 50%) can be used in confections.

Arabic gum functions in confections as an emulsifiers, sugar crystallization control agent, bulking agent, and film former. In caramels and toffee products, gum arabic’s emulsification properties aid in the reduction of fat droplet size distribution and provide stability to the product. Hard gum, pastille, cough drop formula often use arabic gums at high concentration to provide bulk and contribute to an extremely firm texture in the finished products. Arabic gum’s film forming capacity is used in the coating of almond confections and other hard panned sugar confectionary.
Gum Arabic