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.

Human uses

Gums are used in the food industry as thickening agents, gelling agents, emulsifying agents, and stabilizers, and in other industrial adhesives, binding agents, crystal inhibitors, clarifying agents, encapsulating agents, flocculating agents, swelling agents, foam stabilizers, etc. When consumed by humans, many of these gums are fermented by the microbes that inhabit the lower gastrointestinal tract (microbiome) and may influence the ecology and functions of these microscopic communities.

Commercial significance

Humans have used natural gums for various purposes, including chewing and the manufacturing of a wide range of products – such as varnish and lacquerware. Before the invention of synthetic equivalents, trade in gum formed part of the economy in places such as the Arabian peninsula (whence the name "gum arabic"), West Africa, East Africa (copal) and northern New Zealand (kauri gum).

Examples

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):