Gum Acacia

Gum Acacia (414) is a cold soluble hydrocolloid used for fibre enrichment, binding, film forming and emulsifying. Gum Acacia comes in Seyal and Senegal varieties. Senegal is primarily used for emulsification and Seyal for fibre fortification.

Application

ApplicationFunction
Flavour emulsionsEmulsion stabilisation
Baked productsReduces water migration, retards staling
Extrusion ProductsEnhances extrusion and cohesion, improves crispness
Fibre contentIncreases dietary fibre without contributing to taste while enhancing mouthfeel
ConfectioneryReduces hydroscopicity, binding agent at high dose rates.

Chemistry

Gum Acacia (E414) is a polysaccharide with a glycoprotein base structure and highly branched polysaccharide sidechains. In comparison with other hydrocolloids Gum Arabic is a relatively large molecule and has a molecular weight of 500,000 – 600,000 Daltons.

Properties

Viscosity: Typically solutions of 10% w/w Gum Acacia or less have very little viscosity and exhibit Newtonian rheological behaviour. Solutions of 30% w/w Gum Acacia have increased viscosity, with pseudoplastic behaviour. Solutions of up to 50% w/w Gum Acacia can be prepared but higher concentration solutions can be difficult to handle.

Acid Stability: Gum Arabic is stable in most acid conditions and is well suited to beverage and fruit applications.

Emulsification: Gum Acacia derived from Acacia Senegal tends to have better emulsification properties.

Heat Stability: Although Gum Acacia has excellent heat stability, prolonged storage of a Gum Acacia solution at extreme temperatures can result in the loss of some of the functional properties.

Hydration: Due to the Nexira Food manufacturing process, Gum Acacia disperses and hydrates quickly in both hot and cold water.