Gum arabic is that rare type of nutritional supplements that are completely natural in origin and have been used in everyday life and to give food special beneficial qualities for a long time. The stabilizer is a natural resin collected from several varieties of acacia.
Nutritional Supplement Features
The origin of the term is due to a mixture of two words. “Gummi” literally means “gum”, and “arabic” means “Arabian”. Raw materials for the additive are collected on the territory of countries where the most suitable stock varieties grow. We are talking about African states like Sudan. The production process has also been established in Australia and India.
Initially, the food composition was mined by hand exclusively for their own needs by the locals themselves. They used the juice protruding through the bark of trees, which was formed on hot days at the site of cracks in the trees. After drying, the mixture began to harden, turning into drops that looked like tears. Over time, experts have learned to collect drops on an industrial scale, using more advanced methods to achieve the desired result. This made it possible to increase the volume of deliveries.
Since then, in many branches of the food industry, gum arabic has been added. His physical characteristics do not have any special distinguishing features. The finished raw material is a solid and at the same time brittle substance, which has received an amber color. The absence of a specific smell and taste makes its practical value higher.
Even in ancient times, the sages knew how to use this substance, using it to formulate medicines. A drop ground into powder was positioned as an anesthetic medication.
In everyday life, enterprising Egyptians got the hang of replacing glue with it, getting a mixture that is quite resistant to external damage.
If we consider the composition solely from the prism of a chemical point of view, then this mixture is a cocktail of salts of arabic acid. Even modern scientists, if they have the equipment, cannot fully name the complete list of components that have turned into gum arabic.
The mass dissolves perfectly in water, turning the liquid into a thick and at the same time sticky base with a yellowish tint. Due to this property, the substance is used as a thickener.
The stages of obtaining gum include only a few stages, in addition to the direct “harvest”. Specialists can only get rid of particles of bark that got into the mixture, as well as sort, focusing on color characteristics.
Depending on where its application is required, it will depend on what exactly happens to gum arabic next:
- cleansing with water
- pasteurization;
- ultrafiltration.
If further use is envisaged in the confectionery industry, then all three points of more thorough cleaning cannot be dispensed with. In cosmetics, other approaches are sometimes resorted to in order to retain maximum beneficial qualities. The preparation of the semi-finished product is completed only after the cleaned mass has passed the spray drying process.
Later, the additive is sent to fatty oils, then to create soft drinks or dry mixes. The substance is often found in dietary products that need an increase in the percentage of easily digestible fiber.
How does it work?
Having figured out what it is, many begin to wonder why chemists began to add it to various foods. Often, E414 acts as an emulsion stabilizer, defoamer, texturant, film former.
Such a wide range of activities is explained by the fact that with the help of gluten it is possible to distribute particles of fat in the product as evenly as possible.
If we consider the finished base with the involvement of gum arabic, it becomes clear that it is indeed molecularly elastic. It is not for nothing that the tool is highly appreciated by fans of DIY crafts. They use this admixture for decoupage and other decorating techniques on almost any surface to achieve a uniform effect.
Ordinary people who often eat foods where E414 is mentioned will not be able to suspect anything until they read the annotation for the purchase. The thing is that such a product does not leave behind a characteristic aftertaste of chemical components. An additional advantage of the product is the ability to retain moisture, as well as help in the regulation of the freezing point.
How productive the addition of the powder will be will directly depend on how correctly the technology for collecting and producing gum was performed. Also, an important role is played by the factor of the climatic conditions of the area where the “tears” were cut, or the conditions of transportation of the semi-finished product, if we are talking about industrial collection.
Salvation for cosmetologists
Experts in the field of cosmetology have long revealed that in limited quantities, even crude gum has a positive effect on the body.
The proven positive qualities are due to the rich mineral composition, which is ideal for those who want:
- soften the skin;
- saturate the face with moisture;
- soothe the skin after some kind of irritation;
- fight against the inflammatory local process;
- heal minor injuries faster.
Against this background, it seems that the use of gum arabic is not at all harmful. But here doctors advise to play it safe and be sure not to lean too much on such procedures, using the daily dosage.
Honest manufacturers of cosmetics always indicate on the labels what the concentration of this component is. The average indicators are called the radius from 1% to 10%.
Doctors also remind that harm to allergy sufferers is practically excluded. A possible exception is perhaps the individual intolerance of a particular component, which happens extremely rarely.
When it comes into contact with the skin or even mucous membranes in its pure form, the substance does not show any toxic qualities.
In order to achieve maximum effectiveness, store large batches for cosmetic purposes away from direct sunlight. In general, care should be taken to ensure that the storage conditions are cool. Separate care must be taken to ensure that foreign odors and potentially polluting agents do not reach the packaging. Maintaining the humidity of the air at a level of at least 70% will contribute to this.