Natural gums are polysaccharide

Polysaccharide

Polysaccharides are long carbohydrate molecules, of repeated monomer units joined together by glycosidic bonds. They range in structure from linear to highly branched. Polysaccharides are often quite heterogeneous, containing slight modifications of the repeating unit. Depending on the structure,...

s of natural origin, capable of causing a large viscosity

Viscosity

Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...

 increase in solution, even at small concentrations. In the food industry they are used as thickening agent

Thickening agent

Thickening agents, or thickeners, is the term applied to substances which increase the viscosity of a solution or liquid/solid mixture without substantially modifying its other properties; although most frequently applied to foods where the target property is taste, the term also is applicable to...

s, gelling agents, emulsifying agents

Emulsion

An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible . Emulsions are part of a more general class of two-phase systems of matter called colloids. Although the terms colloid and emulsion are sometimes used interchangeably, emulsion is used when both the dispersed and the...

, and stabilizers. In other industries, they are also used as adhesive

Adhesive

An adhesive, or glue, is a mixture in a liquid or semi-liquid state that adheres or bonds items together. Adhesives may come from either natural or synthetic sources. The types of materials that can be bonded are vast but they are especially useful for bonding thin materials...

s, binding agents, crystan

Crystal

A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an orderly repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. The scientific study of crystals and crystal formation is known as crystallography...

 inhibitors, clarifying agents, encapsulating agents, flocculating agent

Flocculation

Flocculation, in the field of chemistry, is a process wherein colloids come out of suspension in the form of floc or flakes by the addition of a clarifying agent. The action differs from precipitation in that, prior to flocculation, colloids are merely suspended in a liquid and not actually...

s, swelling agents, foam stabilizers, etc. Most often these gums

Gum (botany)

Gum is a sap or other resinous material associated with certain species of the plant kingdom. This material is often polysaccharide-based and most frequently is associated with woody plants, particularly under the bark or as a seed coating...

 are found in the woody elements of plants or in seed coatings.

Natural gums can be classified according to their origin. They can also be classified as uncharged or ionic polymer

Polymer

A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...

s (polyelectrolyte

Polyelectrolyte

Polyelectrolytes are polymers whose repeating units bear an electrolyte group. These groups will dissociate in aqueous solutions , making the polymers charged. Polyelectrolyte properties are thus similar to both electrolytes and polymers , and are sometimes called polysalts. Like salts, their...

s). Examples include (E number

E number

E numbers are number codes for food additives that have been assessed for use within the European Union . They are commonly found on food labels throughout the European Union. Safety assessment and approval are the responsibility of the European Food Safety Authority...

 food additive code):

• Natural gums obtained from seaweed
  Seaweed
  Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
  
  s:
  • Polyelectrolytes:
    • Agar
      Agar
      Agar or agar-agar is a gelatinous substance derived from a polysaccharide that accumulates in the cell walls of agarophyte red algae. Throughout history into modern times, agar has been chiefly used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture medium...
      
       (E406);
    • Alginic acid
      Alginic acid
      Alginic acid, also called algin or alginate, is an anionic polysaccharide distributed widely in the cell walls of brown algae, where it, through binding water, forms a viscous gum. In extracted form it absorbs water quickly; it is capable of absorbing 200-300 times its own weight in water. Its...
      
       (E400) and Sodium alginate (E401);
    • Carrageenan
      Carrageenan
      Carrageenans or carrageenins are a family of linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red seaweeds. There are several varieties of carrageen used in cooking and baking. Kappa-carrageenan is used mostly in breading and batter due to its gelling nature...
      
       (E407);
• Natural gums obtained from non-marine botanical resources:
  • Polyelectrolytes:
    • Gum arabic
      Gum arabic
      220px|thumb|right|Acacia gumGum arabic, also known as acacia gum, chaar gund, char goond, or meska, is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal...
      
       (E414), from the sap of Acacia
      Acacia
      Acacia is a genus of shrubs and trees belonging to the subfamily Mimosoideae of the family Fabaceae, first described in Africa by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in 1773. Many non-Australian species tend to be thorny, whereas the majority of Australian acacias are not...
      
      trees
    • Gum ghatti
      Anogeissus latifolia
      Anogeissus latifolia is a species of small to medium-sized tree native to the India, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka. Its common names are axlewood , bakli, dhau, dhawa, dhawra, or dhaora , takhian-nu , and raam .It is one of the most useful trees in India...
      
      , from the sap of Anogeissus
      Anogeissus
      Anogeissus is a genus of trees native to South Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, and Africa, belonging to family Combretaceae. The genus has eight species, five native to South Asia, two endemic to the southern Arabian Peninsula, and one native to Africa. Anogeissus latifolia, known as dhaora, is one of...
      
      trees
    • Gum tragacanth
      Tragacanth
      Tragacanth is a natural gum obtained from the dried sap of several species of Middle Eastern legumes of the genus Astragalus, including A. adscendens, A. gummifer, A. brachycalyx, and A. tragacanthus. Some of these species are known collectively under the common names "goat's thorn" and "locoweed"...
      
       (E413), from the sap of Astragalus
      Astragalus
      Astragalus is a large genus of about 3,000 species of herbs and small shrubs, belonging to the legume family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. The genus is native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
      
      shrubs
    • Karaya gum
      Gum karaya
      Gum Karaya is a vegetable gum produced as an exudate by trees of the genus Sterculia. Chemically, gum karaya is an acid polysaccharide composed of the sugars galactose, rhamnose and galacturonic acid. It is used as a thickener and emulsifier in foods, as a laxative, and as a denture adhesive...
      
       (E416), from the sap of Sterculia
      Sterculia
      Sterculia is a genus of flowering plants in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It was previously placed in the now obsolete Sterculiaceae. Members of the genus are colloquially known as tropical chestnuts...
      
      trees
  • Uncharged:
    • Guar gum
      Guar gum
      Guar gum, also called guaran, is a galactomannan. It is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. The guar seeds are dehusked, milled and screened to obtain the guar gum. It is typically produced as a free-flowing, pale, off-white-colored, coarse to fine ground powder.-Production:Guar gum is an...
      
       (E412), from guar beans
      Guar
      The guar/guwar/guvar bean or cluster bean is an annual legume and the source of guar gum. It grows best under conditions with frequent rainfall, but tolerates arid conditions well. About 80% of world production occurs in India, but, due to strong demand, the plant is being introduced into new areas...
      
      
    • Locust bean gum
      Locust bean gum
      Locust bean gum is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the carob tree, mostly found in the Mediterranean region. The long pods that grow on the tree are used to make this gum. The pods are kibbled to separate the seed from the pulp...
      
       (E410), from the seeds of the carob tree
      Carob tree
      Ceratonia siliqua, commonly known as the Carob tree and St John's-bread, is a species of flowering evergreen shrub or tree in the pea family, Fabaceae...
      
      
    • Beta-glucan
      Beta-glucan
      β-Glucans are polysaccharides of D-glucose monomers linked by β-glycosidic bonds. β-glucans are a diverse group of molecules that can vary with respect to molecular mass, solubility, viscosity, and three-dimensional configuration...
      
      , from oat
      Oat
      The common oat is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name . While oats are suitable for human consumption as oatmeal and rolled oats, one of the most common uses is as livestock feed...
      
       or barley
      Barley
      Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
      
       bran
      Bran
      Bran is the hard outer layer of grain and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. When bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their...
      
      
    • Chicle gum, an older base for chewing gum
      Chewing gum
      Chewing gum is a type of gum traditionally made of chicle, a natural latex product, or synthetic rubber known as polyisobutylene. For economical and quality reasons, many modern chewing gums use rubber instead of chicle...
      
       obtained from the chicle tree
    • Dammar gum
      Dammar gum
      Dammar gum is obtained from the Dipterocarpaceae family of trees in India and East Asia, principally those of the genera Shorea, Balanocarpus or Hopea. Most is produced by tapping trees; however, some is collected in fossilized form from the ground. The gum varies in colour from clear to pale...
      
      , from the sap of Dipterocarpaceae
      Dipterocarpaceae
      Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
      
       trees
    • Glucomannan
      Glucomannan
      Glucomannan is a water-soluble polysaccharide that is considered a dietary fiber. Glucomannan is a food additive used as an emulsifier and thickener. Products containing glucomannan, marketed under a variety of brand names, are also sold as nutritional supplements for constipation, obesity, high...
      
       (E425), from the konjac
      Konjac
      Konjac , also known as konjak, konjaku, konnyaku potato, devil's tongue, voodoo lily, snake palm, or elephant yam , is a plant of the genus Amorphophallus...
      
       plant
    • Mastic gum, a chewing gum from ancient Greece obtained from the mastic tree
    • Psyllium seed husks
      Psyllium seed husks
      Psyllium seed husks also known as ispaghula, isabgol, or psyllium, are portions of the seeds of the plant Plantago ovata, , a native of India. They are soluble in water, expanding and becoming mucilaginous when wet...
      
      , from the Plantago
      Plantago
      Plantago is a genus of about 200 species of small, inconspicuous plants commonly called plantains. They share this name with the very dissimilar plantain, a kind of banana. Most are herbaceous plants, though a few are subshrubs growing to 60 cm tall. The leaves are sessile, but have a narrow...
      
      plant
    • Spruce gum
      Spruce gum
      Spruce gum is a chewing material made from the resin of spruce trees. In North America, spruce gum was chewed by Native Americans, and was later introduced to the early American pioneers and was sold commercially by the 19th century, by John B. Curtis amongst others...
      
      , a chewing gum of American Indians obtained from spruce
      Spruce
      A spruce is a tree of the genus Picea , a genus of about 35 species of coniferous evergreen trees in the Family Pinaceae, found in the northern temperate and boreal regions of the earth. Spruces are large trees, from tall when mature, and can be distinguished by their whorled branches and conical...
      
       trees
    • Tara gum (E417), from the seeds of the tara tree
      Caesalpinia spinosa
      Caesalpinia spinosa Kuntze, commonly known as tara, is a small leguminous tree or thorny shrub native to Peru. C. spinosa is cultivated as a source of tannins based on a galloylated quinic acid structure...
      
      

• Natural gums produced by bacteria
  Bacteria
  Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
  
  l fermentation
  Fermentation (biochemistry)
  Fermentation is the process of extracting energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an endogenous electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound. In contrast, respiration is where electrons are donated to an exogenous electron acceptor, such as oxygen,...
  
  :
  • Polyelectrolytes:
    • Gellan gum
      Gellan gum
      Gellan gum is a water-soluble polysaccharide produced by Pseudomonas elodea, a bacterium.-Chemical structure:The repeating unit of the polymer is a tetrasaccharide, which consists of two residues of D-glucose and one of each residues of L-rhamnose and D-glucuronic acid...
      
       (E418)
  • Uncharged:
    • Xanthan gum
      Xanthan gum
      Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, used as a food additive and rheology modifier, commonly used as a food thickening agent and a stabilizer...
      
      (E415)