Gum Arabic: more than an edible emulsifier

M.A. MONTENEGRO; M.L. BOIERO; L. VALLE; C.D. BORSARELLI

Biopolymers

INTECH-Open Science

Lugar: Rijeka; Año: 2012; p. 3 - 24

Gum Arabic (GA) or Acacia gum is an edible biopolymer obtained as exudates of mature trees of the family of Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal, which grow principally in the African region of Sahe in Sudan. The exudate is a non-viscous liquid, rich in soluble fibers, and normally its emanation from the stems and branches occurs under stress conditions, such as drought, poor soil fertility, and injury (Williams & Phillips, 2000). The use of GA is very ancient, dating at least from the second millennium BC between the Egyptians who used it as an adhesive and inks. Over time, GA found its way to Europe through various Arabian ports acquiring the name "gum arabic" because of its port of export. Chemically, GA is a complex mixture of macromolecules of different size and composition (mainly carbohydrates and proteins). Today, the properties and features of the GA have been widely explored and developed, leading to its use in a wide range of industrial sectors such as textiles, ceramics, lithography, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, encapsulation, food, etc. Particular use in the food industry is oriented as stabilizer, thickener and/or emulsifier agent (e.g., soft drink syrup, gummy candies and creams) (Verbeke et al., 2003). In the pharmaceutical industry, the GA is used as a carrier of drugs and in pharmaceutical preparations since it is considered as a substance physiologically harmless. However, recent studies have highlighted the antioxidant properties of GA (Trommer & Neubert, 2005; Ali & Al Moundhri, 2006; Hinson et al., 2004), its role in the metabolism of lipids (Tiss et al., 2001, Evans et al., 1992), its positive contribution in several degenerative diseases such as kidney failure (Matsumoto et al., 2006; Bliss et al., 1996; Ali et al., 2008), cardiovascular (David et al., 2009) and gastrointestinal (Wapner et al., 2008; Rehman et al., 2003). Therefore, there are increasingly evidences that GA can fulfill several positive health-related roles in addition to its well-known properties as emulsifier. Therefore, the aim of this chapter, in addition to describing general aspects of the sources, composition, and recognized uses of GA, is to describe some new aspects of its antioxidant capacity against some reactive oxygen substances (ROS) and also its antimicrobial activity (AMA).