Composition and structure of Gum Acacia
acacia gums obtained from Senegal and Seyal species of acacia trees are heterogeneous complex carbohydrates and have little amount of nitrogenous substance as a part of gum structure. It remains with the gum even after purification process. Acacia gum is an acidic polymer with pH value of 4.5 to 5.0 due to its major component is acidic arabinogalactan It is responsible for the anionic behavior of acacia gum. Acacia gum is highly branched and has high molecular weight. Chemical composition of acacia gum is dependent on several factors such as climatic conditions, source and age of the acacia tree.
Acacia gum obtained from Senegal and Seyal species contains similar sugar units but their proportion in the gum varies. The major difference between Acacia Senegal gum and Seyal gum is due to its sugar, amino acids composition and molecular weight.
Molecular weight of Seyal gum is higher as compared to Senegal gum. hydrophobic protein component in its structure which gives the eemulsifying properties to acacia gum. Very low viscosity of acacia gum solution suggests that it has very compact structure.
