A serotaxonomic study of Acacia gum exudates

Biopolymers for sample collection, protection, and preservation

“…In Ancient Egypt, it was used as a pigment binder and adhesive in paints for making hieroglyphs, binder in cosmetics and inks, and for adhering flaxen wrappings for embalming mummies (Sanchez et al 2002). In current times, acacia gum is used extensively in food industry as an emulsifier, flavoring agent/adjuvant, formulation aid, stabilizer/thickener, humectant, surface-finishing agent; in pharmaceutical industry as a suspending agent, emulsifier, adhesive, and binder in tableting and in demulcent syrups; in cosmetics as stabilizer in lotions and protective creams, and an adhesive agent in blusher; foam stabilizer in liquid soaps; in lithography; in textile industry; in painting as dispersant in paints; and as dispersant in insecticidal/ acaricidal emulsions (Baldwin et al 1999;Joseleau and Ullmann 1990;Sanchez et al 2002). We discovered that one of the most important applications is the use of acacia gum in preserving microorganisms for extended periods of time without refrigeration (Krumnow et al 2009;Sorokulova et al 2008Sorokulova et al , 2012.…”

“…Acacia gum (or gum arabic) is an exudate collected from Acacia senegal stems and branches (Baldwin et al 1999;Joseleau and Ullmann 1990). Most of the acacia gum (90 %) obtained for commercial use comes from Sudan, Africa (Joseleau and Ullmann 1990).…”

“…Large aggregates have been fractionated which include an arabino-galactan protein (2.3 × 106 g mol −1 ), arabinogalactan (2.7×105 g mol −1 ), and glycoproteins (Baldwin et al 1999;Sanchez et al 2002). The structural unit for these aggregates is Bß-(1,3)-linked galactose backbone with branches of β-(1,6)-linked galactose containing arabinose, rhamnose, uronic acids and their derivatives^ (Sanchez et al 2002).…”

Synthesis and optimization of polyacrylamide and gum arabic graft copolymer

“…The outcome of this research is therefore a consolidation of trends earlier reported in the domain of biopolymers. The uniqueness of this research however lies in the fact gum arabic, a documented food additive and an emulsifier/stabilizer (Menzies et al, 1996;Baldwin et al, 1998) in various industrial processes was transformed by graft copolymerization to a new polymeric material endowed with unprecedented chemical properties such as flocculation and sorption propensities which are desirable characteristics that can be utilized in environmental sanitization and combating of aqua transmitted ailments and hence used to reinforce or supplement bioremediation of wastewaters (Osemeahon et al, 2008) especially industrial effluents amongst others. This might also blaze the trail to novel procedures of material treatment for manufacturing purposes.…”

“…The grafting reaction alone has far-reaching effects on the chemistry of gum arabic because it can alter or impart novel properties to the gum arabic such as flocculation and sorption propensities. Gum arabic is a documented food additive (Baldwin et al, 1998;Williams and Philips, 2000) and the industries that make use of gum arabic include confectionaries, bakeries, beverages, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and textile industries. The additional properties of flocculation and sorption to gum arabic enhanced by the grafting reactions present a wide range of applications making research in the area imperative.…”