Gum arabic

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Gum arabic (also known as gum acacia, gum sudani, Senegal gum and by other names) is a tree gum best known by two most popular species of Acacia sensu lato: Senegalia senegal and Vachellia seyal; although there are over 900 species of trees in the genus. However, the term "gum arabic" does not indicate a particular botanical source. The gum is harvested commercially from wild trees, mostly in Sudan (about 70% of the global supply) and throughout the Sahel, from Senegal to Somalia. The name "gum Arabic" (Arabic: الصمغ العربي, romanized: aṣ-ṣamḡ al-ʕarabī) was used in the Middle East at least as early as the 9th century. Gum arabic first found its way to Europe via Arabic ports and retained its name of origin. Gum arabic is a complex mixture of glycoproteins and polysaccharides, predominantly polymers of arabinose and galactose. It is soluble in water, edible, and used primarily in the food industry and soft drink industry as a stabilizer, with E number E414 (I414 in the US). Gum arabic is...

Read on Wikipedia · Image Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain