Gum arabic is the dried sap of acacia trees. Farmers make small cuts in the bark during the dry season, the tree exudes sap to seal the wound, and the sap hardens into amber coloured nodules that are picked by hand a few weeks later. It has been traded from the Sahel for thousands of years, and Sudan remains the world's largest producer by far.
What is it used for?
Gum arabic is one of the most widely used natural ingredients in the world, usually invisible in the finished product:
- Soft drinks. It keeps citrus oils evenly mixed in drinks, which is why it appears on cola ingredient lists as E414.
- Confectionery. The original ingredient in gum sweets and pastilles, and still used for glazing and coatings.
- Fibre supplements. Milled into powder, it is sold as acacia fibre, a soluble dietary fibre.
- Art. The traditional binder in watercolour paint, drawing inks and lithography.
- Traditional use. In Sudan, gum dissolved in water has long been drunk as a household staple.
Grades: hashab and talha
The trade recognises two main types. Hashab comes from Acacia senegal and is the premium grade: pale, clean tasting and highly soluble, the grade specified by food and drink manufacturers. Talha comes from Acacia seyal, is darker and cheaper, and is used where colour and flavour matter less.
Within hashab, the best gum comes from Sudan's gum belt, where the trees, soil and dry season produce large, clean nodules.
Is gum arabic safe to eat?
Yes. It is an approved food additive (E414) with a very long history of use, and in its powdered form it is eaten deliberately as a source of soluble fibre. As with any fibre, it is sensible to start with small amounts.
Other names for gum arabic
The same ingredient goes by several names depending on who is buying it. Acacia gum, arabic gum and gum acacia all mean gum arabic, and its food additive number is E414. In South Asian shops it is often sold as char goond (also chaar gund). The premium grade from Acacia senegal is called hashab. Not to be confused with gond katira, which is a different gum (tragacanth).
Where to buy it
We supply Sudanese gum arabic in the UK to supplement, drinks and food manufacturers, from a single 25 kg bag to pallet lots. See our wholesale page for trade enquiries, or read more about acacia fibre if you are interested in the dietary side.
Questions about gum arabic?
Message us and we will come back to you, usually within two working days. We supply grade one acacia gum (E414) in the UK, in trade quantities from a single 25 kg bag.
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