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Department of Botany, Bioinformatics and Climate Change Impacts Management, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad
Natural edible gums are water-soluble or swell polysaccharides generated from plant and shrub exudates that have important applications in the food, pharmaceutical, and industrial industries. These hydrocolloids, which include Gum Arabic, Karaya, Ghatti, tragacanth and Cashew gum, are prized for their distinct qualities such as thickening, emulsifying, stabilizing, and film-forming capabilities. Their ability to bind water and generate viscous solutions even at low concentrations makes them critical for improving texture, sensory properties, and shelf life in food products. Furthermore, edible gums serve as dietary fibres and a source of critical nutrients, while their historic uses in diverse cultures emphasize their therapeutic implications. These include antibacterial, antioxidant, antimicrobial capacity, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as roles in digestive health and wound healing. These gums? production and functional properties are inextricably linked to both primary and secondary plant metabolic processes, and new research and expanded their potential, including novel applications in edible coatings and nanotechnology to targeted drug delivery and environmental remediation.
Natural exudates from plant and shrub stems or bark are known as wild edible gums. These gums are water-soluble or swell polysaccharides that have numerous nutritional, and medicinal, and, Industrial uses. Edible gums from the wild are necessary for human diet and have therapeutic uses. They are taken from a range of plant species, such as Acacia, Sterculia, and Boswellia are generally found in arid and semi-arid regions. The food industry makes extensive use of gums and their derivatives. Natural gums are Polysaccharides composed of sugars other than glucose that can raise a solution’s viscosity even at lower concentrations. They are less expensive and frequently available. Chemically inert, odourless, Harmless, and biocompatible. Because they dissolve in water, these gum are also known as hydrocolloids. They supply the structural components and water that regulate the water binding properties of food’s form, texture, and sensory attributes. Finally, polysaccharides are a source of nutrients and dietary fibre (Saha, A., et al., 2017). Particularly noteworthy are three characteristics of gums: (a) their exceptional ability to attract and retain water, resulting in viscous solution; (b) their low absorption and digestion within the body especially in the large intestine (where they serve as fibre); and (c) their ability to form films. The fil-forming property of natural gums is caused by intermolecular, interactions such as intramolecular hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic, ionic, electrostatic, and cross linking (Knudsen, K. B., et al., 2001). Water soluble hydrocolloids (gums) are used for a variety of purposes, Including packaging films, coatings, texture modifiers, thickeners, gelling agents, stabilizers, and emulsifiers. Several researchers have investigated the potential use of natural gums in edible film and coating formulations to improve their properties (Kshirsagar Prachi, P., & Bhogaonkar, P. Y. 2017). Gond contains gel and mucilage-forming properties. Gond includes galacturonic acid, and rhamnose, arabinose, xylose, and glucose. Edible gum has stabilizing, thickening, water-controlling, emulsifying, and filling properties (AL-Fatimi, M., 2021). Gum has a long history of use, and it is one of the most important non-timber forest products for tribal and rural communities’ health. Plant produce gum either naturally or when harmed by external factors. Gummosis refers to the process by which plant create gums. Gum have long been the most sought-after product in many civilization throughout the world because they are necessary commodity that people have used not only for ceremonial, aesthetic, and therapeutic purpose, but also in the arts and industry (Kshirsagar Prachi, P., & Bhogaonkar, P. Y. 2017). Gums’ structure contains numerous hydrophilic moieties, including hydroxyl functional groups and other polar groups which form hydrogen bond that are essential for the formation of their films (Janjarasskul T, Krochta J. M., 2010). The use edible gums in the food industry is rapidly increasing due to their outstanding significance in providing structure to the food system while also improving sensory properties (Manzoor, M., et al., 2020) For example, starch is used to thicken soups and sauces, alginate is used to stabilize mayonnaise, and pectin frequently used in the production of jams and jellies due to its capacity to generate gels with the necessary for their anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory qualities (Perumal, P. K., et al., 2023). Acacia gum’s well-established anti-hypertensive properties’ prevent blood pressure spikes; The prebiotic activity of Konjac glucomannan supports intestinal health, while Guar gum’s high fibre content provides satiety and lowers overheating. Edible gums are being studied for use in food packaging, including Edible films and coatings, to fulfil several roles and package a variety of items. Recent applications of edible gums in the food business (Bisht, B., et al., 2022). Such as vegan product formulation with texture and mouthfeel similar to original products, and coating fried food for reduced oil absorption, have been effective. Researchers continue to study fresh applications for Edible Gums with altering customer needs and market trends (Lu, wei, et al., 2020).
The plant Acacia Senegal and Acacia seyal are the sources of gum Arabic, a palatable, dried exudate. The names gum acacia and gum Arabic, which come from some origins, are commonly used interchangeably. Gum Arabic has a variety of applications in the pharmaceutical business and is frequently used in the food industry as an emulsifier, thickening agent, and stabilizer (Phillips, G. O., & Williams, P. A., 2009). Qualities: Because Gum Arabic (GA) is a good emulsifier and has the ability to create films, it is utilized successfully in edible coatings. Its hydrophobic structural elements, which also result in the encapsulation of flavours and aromas, give it the ability to emulsify (Baldwin, E. A., et al., 2011).
Karaya Gum is produced as an exudate from the Sterculia Urens tree. The Gum’s composition varies depending on the species from which it is obtained. Chemically, karaya gum is an acid polysaccharide made up of Galactose, Rhamnose, and Galacturonic acid. It functions as both a thickening and a laxative. It has properties similar to those of Gum tragacanth. Gum karaya’s limited solubility makes it unsuitable for edible coatings. This gum’s emulsifying properties make it suitable for usage in dairy products, baking industries, and pharmaceuticals. It is also utilized as thickeners in the textile industry (Mirhosseini, H., & Amid, B.T., 2012).
Gum ghatti is a translucent containing a complex polysaccharide obtained from the plant Anogeissus latifolia, a deciduous tree of the Combretaceae family found primarily in India. This gum is moderately soluble in water, but it swells and forms dispersions, making it less helpful in the food industry than other gums. Furthermore, the film is fragile in nature. However, it is employed for drug delivery in terms of viscosity and emulsifying qualities, Gum ghatti is very similar to gum Arabic. However, its viscosity is less than of gum karaya. Gum ghatti is compatible with other plant hydrocolloids; yet, due to the limited solubility and Brittleness of its films, it is rarely used as edible coating in the food Industry (Baldwin, E. A., et al., 2011).
Gum tragacanth (GT) is a dried exudate obtain from the stem of Asian species of Astragalus leguminosae. GT swells dramatically in both cold and hot water. It is commercially employed as a natural emulsifier and thickening in the pharmaceutical and allied sector due to its stability in a wide range of temperatures and PH, similar to gum Arabic, and its efficiency as an emulsifier (Mohamadina, Z., et al., 2008). It also exhibits exceptional resilience against microbial attack, thickening capabilities, and functions as an emulsion stabilizer (Mohebbi, M., et al., 2012).
The cashew Tree (Anacardium occidentale l.) Is the source of Cashew gum Because the addition of plasticizer and surfactants to cashew gum coating solution reduces its opacity, surface tension, and improves wettability (Carneiro-da-Cunha, M. G., et al., 2009)? It can be applied to minimally processed fruit like Golden Apples, increasing the coating solution’s Compatibility with the fruit’s skin surface. The Self life of mangoes (Magnifera indica var. Tommy Atkins) has been extended through the application of edible coatings based on cashew gums (Souza, M. P., et al., 2010).
Gupta Shalini*, Trupesh Revad, Himanshu Pandya, Hitesh Solanki, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Perspectives on Natural Edible Gums: A Review Bridging Traditional Medicine and Morden Therapeutics, Int. J. Sci. R. Tech., 2025, 2 (4), 289-298. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15204228
10.5281/zenodo.15204228