Quick Selection Guide for Plant Gums from Gum Arabic to Carrageenan

Plant gums from plants are used for hundreds of years in everything from food and medicine to cosmetics and paper. Such natural polymers are extremely special and are precious compounds in many formulations. Alfa Chemistry supplies the most innovative plant gums from gum Arabic to guar gum, xanthan gum to carrageenan for different industries across the globe.

Understanding Plant Gums

Plant gums are complex polysaccharides of sugar molecules connected in long chains. These extended chains lend plant gums their special thickening, emulsifying, stabilizing and gelling abilities. Plant gum should be chosen as per the function required and application.

• A Quick Selection Guide

To help you select the most suitable plant gum for your application, we have created a concise guide highlighting the key properties and applications of our primary offerings:

Plant Gum	Source	Key Properties	Applications
Gum Arabic	Acacia trees	Emulsification, film formation, fiber stabilization.	Food (confectionery, beverages), pharmaceuticals, cosmetics.
Guar Gum	Guar plant seeds	Thickening, stabilizing, water-binding.	Food (ice cream, sauces), paper, textile
Xanthan Gum	Bacterial fermentation	Thickening, suspending, stabilizing, pseudoplasticity.	Food (sauces, dressings), pharmaceuticals, cosmetics.
Carrageenan	Red seaweed	Gel formation, thickening, stabilizing.	Food (dairy products, beverages), pharmaceuticals.

Gum Arabic

Gum Arabic – natural polysaccharide extracted from the bark or roots of Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal, leguminous plants. It is mainly composed of high molecular weight glycosidic acid, and it has the metal ions of calcium, magnesium and potassium, and it is very water-soluble and viscous.

The structure of gum Arabic is complex with the major monomers being arabinose, galactose, rhamnose and glucuronic acid, which are linked to the chain or side-chain by β-D-(13) and β-D-(16) linkage. It has a molecular structure which makes it good for emulsification and has low solution viscosity.

Gum Arabic is a used emulsifier, stabilizer and thickener in food products, mostly drinks, candy, ice cream and sauces. It's also important for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, textile and printing industries.

There are biological uses involved in gum Arabic, too. Researches have indicated that it plays several biological roles like antioxidant, kidney, cardiovascular and liver. Moreover, there is also the gum Arabic in traditional medicine, for cough, diarrhea, and skin conditions.

• Gum Arabic from Alfa Chemistry

Catalog	Product Name
ACM9000015-1	Gum arabic derived from black locust, branched polysaccharide
ACM9000015-10	Gum arabic, Powder, derived from the trunk exudate of the genus Acacia
ACM9000015-2	Gum arabic derived from locust, Reagent grade
ACM9000015-3	Gum arabic derived from locust, spray dried
ACM9000015-4	Gum arabic derived from locust, spray dried, loss : ≤10 % loss on drying
ACM9000015-5	Gum Arabic, Analytical reagent
ACM9000015-6	Gum Arabic, Granular, Hand selected fine, Light yellow
ACM9000015-7	Gum arabic, hand-selected delicate, light yellow
ACM9000015-8	Gum Arabic, Industrial grade
ACM9000015-9	Gum Arabic, Pharmaceutical grade

Guar Gum

Guar gum is a natural polysaccharide extracted from the endosperm of the legume plant guar bean (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus), and its main component is galactomannan.

Guar gum is widely used in the food industry and is often used as a thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier. For example, in beverages, ice cream, baked goods, dairy products and other products, guar gum can improve the taste and texture of the product.

In addition, guar gum also has the characteristics of dietary fiber, which helps to control blood sugar and cholesterol levels, and has certain health benefits for preventing diabetes and heart disease.

In the pharmaceutical field, guar gum is used as a carrier and controlled release system for drug preparations, especially in colonic drug delivery systems. Its chemical configuration makes it release drugs at a desired pH and it is very biocompatible and biodegradable.

• Guar Gum from Alfa Chemistry

Catalog	Product Name
ACM9000300-10	Guar Gum, 3000-5000 cPs
ACM9000300-11	Guar Gum, 3000-7000 cPs
ACM9000300-12	Guar Gum, 350-700 mPa.s (1%, water, 20°C, dry matter equivalent)
ACM9000300-13	Guar Gum, 4500-4900 mPa.s
ACM9000300-14	Guar Gum, 5000-5500 cPs
ACM9000300-3	Guar Gum, ≥3500 mPa.s
ACM9000300-4	Guar Gum, ≥4500 mPa.s
ACM9000300-5	Guar Gum, ≥5000 mPa.s
ACM9000300-6	Guar Gum, 2500-5000 cPs, 100 Mesh
ACM9000300-7	Guar Gum, 2500-5000 cPs, 300 Mesh
ACM9000300-8	Guar Gum, 2500-9000 cPs
ACM9000300-9	Guar Gum, 3000-4500 cPs (1% in water, 25°C, 24h)

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide produced by fermentation of Pseudomonas bacteria (such as Xanthomonas campestris), which has a wide range of applications and a unique chemical structure. It is mainly composed of D-glucose, D-mannose and D-glucuronic acid in a molar ratio of 2:2:1, forming a cellulose-like skeleton with multiple side chains.

Xanthan gum is widely used as a thickener, stabilizer and emulsifier in the food industry, and is highly favored for its good water solubility, acid and alkali resistance, salt resistance and high viscosity.

In addition, xanthan gum is also used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, petroleum industry and other fields, such as drug delivery systems, tissue engineering and biomaterials. For instance, in drug delivery systems– like sustained-release microcapsules, controlled-release hydrogels, etc. – it shows enormous application potential in the biomedical realm.

• Xanthan Gum from Alfa Chemistry

Catalog	Product Name
ACM11138662-1	Xanthan gum from Xanthomonas campestris
ACM11138662-10	Xanthan Gum, Food grade, Viscosity : 25-70 mPa.s, 1 % in H2O(25 °C), 200 mesh
ACM11138662-11	Xanthan Gum, Food grade, Viscosity : 25-70 mPa.s, 1 % in H2O(25 °C), 80 mesh
ACM11138662-12	Xanthan Gum, Petroleum grade
ACM11138662-13	Xanthan Gum, Pharmaceutical grade
ACM11138662-14	Xanthan Gum, Transparent
ACM11138662-15	Xanthan Gum, USP grade
ACM11138662-4	Xanthan Gum, 80 mesh
ACM11138662-5	Xanthan Gum, 85%
ACM11138662-6	Xanthan Gum, 98%
ACM11138662-7	Xanthan Gum, Bioreagent
ACM11138662-8	Xanthan Gum, Food grade
ACM11138662-9	Xanthan Gum, Food grade, 200 mesh

Carrageenan

Carrageenan is a high-molecular-weight water-soluble polysaccharide obtained from red algae, and is mainly made of alternating α-1,3-galactose and β-1,4,3,6-anhydrogalactose units with sulfate groups.

There are three basic groups of carrageenan according to the chemical formula and number of sulfate groups — κ-carrageenan, ι-carrageenan and λ-carrageenan. There are one sulfate group in κ-carrageenan, two sulfates in ι--carrageenan, and three sulfates in λ-carrageenan.

Carrageenan also forms well-gels, which is why the chemical is widely used in food industry as a thickener and stabilizer in jelly, ice-cream, and candies. Furthermore, carrageenan is also applied in drug delivery system and other biomedical fields due to its low toxicity, biocompatibility and biodegradability.

• Carrageenan from Alfa Chemistry

Catalog	Product Name
ACM9000071-1	Carrageenan, Reagent grade, suitable for gel preparation
ACM11114208-1	κ-carrageenan
ACM11114208-3	κ-Carrageenan, Powder
ACM11114208-4	κ-refined carrageenan
ACM11114208-5	κ-semi-refined carrageenan
ACM9062071-2	ι-Carrageenan, commercial grade, Type II
ACM9064577-4	λ-Carrageenan, Plant mucopolysaccharide

Alfa Chemistry: Your Reliable Partner

Alfa Chemistry has a complete collection of superior plant gums to cater to all kinds of industry. Our quality, reliability and customer service promise are the reason that you only get the best. Contact our team for more details on our plant gum products and custom solutions.

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