Natural gum

Natural gums are polysaccharides of natural origin, capable of causing a large increase in a solution’s viscosity, even at small concentrations. They are mostly botanical gums, found in the woody elements of plants or in seed coatings. They are used in the food industry as thickening agents, gelling agents, emulsifying agents, and stabilizers, and in other industries as adhesives, binding agents, crystal inhibitors, clarifying agents, encapsulating agents, flocculating agents, swelling agents, foam stabilizers, etc. Natural gums are polysaccharides of natural origin, capable of causing a large increase in a solution’s viscosity, even at small concentrations. They are mostly botanical gums, found in the woody elements of plants or in seed coatings. They are used in the food industry as thickening agents, gelling agents, emulsifying agents, and stabilizers, and in other industries as adhesives, binding agents, crystal inhibitors, clarifying agents, encapsulating agents, flocculating agents, swelling agents, foam stabilizers, etc. Natural gums can be classified according to their origin. They can also be classified as uncharged or ionic polymers (polyelectrolytes). Examples include (with E number food additive code):