Gum+arabic


 * Gum arabic **, also known as ** acacia gum ** , // **chaar gund** // , // **char goond** // , or // **meska** // , is a [|natural gum] made of hardened [|sap] taken from two species of the [|acacia] tree; // [|Acacia senegal]  // and //  [|Acacia seyal]  // . The gum is harvested commercially from wild trees throughout the [|Sahel] from [|Senegal] and [|Sudan] to [|Somalia] , although it has been historically cultivated in [|Arabia] and [|West Asia] . Gum arabic, a complex [|mixture] of [|polysaccharides] and [|glycoproteins] , is used primarily in the [|food industry] as a [|stabilizer] . It is edible and has [|E number] E414. 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, although less expensive materials compete with it for many of these roles. While gum arabic is now produced mostly throughout the African Sahel, it is still harvested and used in the Middle East. For example, Arab populations use the natural gum to make a chilled, sweetened, and flavored [|gelato] -like dessert.

Acacia gum's [|mixture] of [|saccharides] and [|glycoproteins] gives it the properties of a glue and binder which is edible by humans. Other substances have replaced it in situations where [|toxicity] is not an issue, as the proportions of the various chemicals in gum arabic vary widely and make it unpredictable. Still, it remains an important ingredient in [|soft drink] [|syrups], "hard" gummy candies such as [|gumdrops] , [|marshmallows] , [|M&M's] chocolate candies and edible glitter, a very popular, modern cake-decorating staple. For [|artists], it is the traditional [|binder] used in [|watercolor] [|paint] , in photography for [|gum printing] , and it is used as a binder in [|pyrotechnic] compositions. It has been investigated for use in [|intestinal dialysis]. [|Pharmaceuticals] and [|cosmetics] also use the gum as a [|binder], emulsifying agent and a suspending or viscosity increasing agent. [|[1]] Gum arabic has been used in the past as a [|wine] [|fining agent]. [|[2]]

It is an important ingredient in [|shoe polish], and can be used in making homemade incense cones. It is also used as a lickable [|adhesive], for example on [|postage stamps] and [|cigarette papers]. Printers employ it to stop [|oxidation] of [|aluminium] [|printing] plates in the interval between processing of the plate and its use on a [|printing press].