AGRIGUM INTERNATIONAL, a leading U.K.-based producer of Gum Arabic, is expanding the capacity to distribute their Acacia products in the evolving American Market through a collaboration with AMPAK COMPANY, INC., a strategic import channel affiliate. Based in New York, AMPAK offers dependable support of the Acacia products, and their reputation provides AGRIGUM with reliable distribution and market strength in sectors which include bakery, convenience foods, plant-based products, packaged goods, and confectionery.

FOCUS AND EXPERTISE

One of the foremost global leaders in the Gum Arabic market, AGRIGUM has historically been a trusted provider of Acacia products for multiple industries. Gum Arabic is primarily sourced from Africa in the Sahel Belt, from countries such as Chad, Nigeria, Senegal, andSudan, which is the world’s largest producer. The harvesting of the raw material is done by hand using tree-friendly, environmentally considerate methods that prevent desertification. A low-carbon process is maintained throughout the entire production supply chain, with enhanced capabilities including dedicated spray-drying facilities located in Europe.

AGRIGUM practices sustainable manufacturing from gum selection and sorting through to the final packaging. Their expertise focuses on developing novel and highly innovative custom solutions for a broad array of food, beverage, and nutrition applications, among others. The company closely collaborates with Universities and state-of-the-art research facilities as the specialty food ingredient and flavor landscape continues to evolve.

Photo: Agrigum International Limited

FORM AND FUNCTION

The functional properties of Gum Arabic include solubility, encapsulation, viscosity, emulsification, stabilization and more. Due to possessing a large number of physicochemical properties, sought-after by manufacturers in multiple industries, Gum Arabic enjoys use in a remarkable range of applications, including bakery, dairy, beverages, nutritional bars, meat, and other nutrition.

Gum Arabic is recognized as the best natural option for stabilizing beverage emulsions and encapsulating complex aromatic molecules, such as flavors and flavoring agents, while simultaneously boosting the nutritional profile. It is widely-used to prepare and stabilize essential oil emulsions which are supplied to the soft drinks industry.

Having been used in the confectionery industry for centuries, Gum Arabic performs important functions in the manufacture of confectionery products. It prevents sugar crystallization, keeps fatty components evenly distributed, acts as a texture modifier, and as a boundary film in glazing systems. Applications include caramels, toffees, chewing gums, chocolate-coated candies and nut-centers, among others.

With its high water absorption, viscoelastic properties, and high soluble fiber content, Gum Arabic is beneficial to baking applications, especially gluten-free breads, and frozen bread dough. It provides freeze-thaw stability and potential for shelf-life extension, as well as increasing the maximum dough height and bread volume.

We’ve seen a great increase in the use of Gum Arabic in dairy applications, since our products are highly compatible with dairy proteins and work across a wide range of processing conditions for ice cream, yogurt, margarine, and dairy-based desserts and beverages. It enhances flavor, improves texture and stabilization, while it helps to reduce fat and sugar. Organic certified and non-GMO, Gum Arabic allows cleaner labels, for example, by removing synthetic mono- and di-glycerides in ice cream.

Another sector where the use of Gum Arabic is consistently on the rise? Plant-Based Foods! Mostly used as an emulsifier and texture enhancer in plant-based milks and yogurts, it can be used as a replacement binder and cryoprotectant in alternative meats, and as a syneresis inhibitor (preventing separation of liquid ingredients) in confectioneries and granola bars. Because it’s diabetic- and keto-friendly, as well as being a good source of fiber and calcium, Gum Arabic can be used as a healthy filler and coating agent. Its propensity for gentle intestinal transit makes it an ideal replacement for harder-to-digest, chemically modified gums which have been used in previous iterations of plant-based products.

Highly soluble in water, Acacia Fiber is perfect for use in dietary products because it is odorless, tasteless, and colorless with a low calorific value. The benefits include resistance to acidity and heat, neutral taste with no viscosity, pH-compatible with milk proteins, and recognized prebiotic effects. It’s a convenient way to add a soluble fiber source for the development of fiber-enriched nutritional drinks. In December 2021, the FDA approved the status of Gum Arabic Fiber in the U.S. Depending on the dosage, nutrition claims which are applicable include “source of fiber” or “high in fiber”.

Ongoing research demonstrates the important role Gum Arabic plays on gut health and digestive wellness. Over the centuries, it has been traditionally used in Africa and the Middle East as a therapy for gastrointestinal issues. With the ever-increasing health-conscious consumer demand for prebiotic foods and beverages, the importance of Acacia as an ingredient cannot be understated. With its low glycemic index, it’s suitable for both a diabetic diet or a ketogenic diet, plus it increases satiety and minimizes bloating, making it extremely beneficial for digestive health needs.

Photo: Agrigum International Limited

REDEFINING GUM ARABIC

We are fulfilling our mission “Better Health through Food and Nutrition” by looking into the future and reimagining not only how people use Gum Arabic, but how they think about it. The future focus for AGRIGUM is ongoing support of R&D, creating new applications, products, and processes. With a forward-looking approach, AGRIGUM is enabled to anticipate the evolving requirements of their customers and offer ground-breaking solutions to ensure they will be well-prepared to capitalize on the latest innovations in the Gum Arabic industry.