Introduction of Gum Karaya
We're excited to introduce you to Gum Karaya, a standout product in our portfolio. Ethically and sustainably sourced, our Gum Karaya also known as Sterculia Gum is a testament to our commitment to quality and exceptional customer service. It shines as a natural thickener, stabilizer, and binder in the food industry. Sterculia Gum’s unparalleled water-absorbing capacity also makes it a top choice in dietary formulations and bulk laxatives. With such versatility, Gum Karaya is reshaping standards in the food and pharmaceutical sectors while finding new applications in others.
Gum Karaya or Sterculia Gum is regarded as the best substitute of Gum Tragacanth because of the various benefits it offers. As a stabilizer, binder and thickener Gum Karaya provides similar properties to Gum Tragacanth but the price of Gum Karaya is much less than compared to Gum Tragacanth. This is one of the reasons why Gum Karaya is considered a substitute of gum tragacanth.
Benefits of Gum Karaya
There are many alternative names for Gum Karaya like Sterculia Gum, Indian tragacanth, etc. Due to its unique properties, gum karaya has several benefits and uses of where the applications are extended to several industries. Gum Karaya in the food industry, acts as a thickening agent to get the desired consistency & texture while it also acts as a stabilizer in the production of ice cream that stops the formation of large ice crystals for a smoother texture. In the cosmetics industry, it is used as a natural binder while in the pharmaceutical industry, it is used in laxative formulations, due to its bulking properties.
Origins and Harvesting of Gum Karaya
Karaya Gum or Sterculia Gum is a natural plant-based gum extracted from the bark and branches of the “Sterculia Uren Tree.” This tree is primarily found in dry and deciduous forests of India and Africa. To extract Gum Karaya from the Sterculia Uren tree a small incision is made on the tree trunk where the gum begins to exude immediately after the opening. The gum exudation is continuous for a few days where the maximum amount of gum can be obtained in the first 24 hours. Summers are considered to be the best season to extract the best quality of gum. The exudated gum is in the form of large and irregular tears with many other external objects like tree bark, etc. The exudated gum is then cleaned and further purified. The storage process of Karaya Gum is important as it is sensitive to humid and wet external situations which can enable it to form lumps. In India, there are five grades of gum karaya based on different quality hierarchies.
Chemical Properties and Solubility of Gum Karaya
Gum Karaya has a blend of unique physical and chemical properties, which enable them as a significant natural polymer, where its significance is rising in many contemporary industries. It has polysaccharide properties. Karaya has a slightly acetous odour and taste. Gum Karaya powder is light grey to pinkish grey. The price of Gum Karaya is based on colour and purity. Gum karaya has excellent film-forming properties which is important in industries like food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, etc. This film-forming property of gum karaya creates a thin even layer that when comes in contact with liquids like water spreads over the surface. It is observed that there is no connection between the viscosity and Gum Karaya grades. However, viscosity is important to consider in powdered Karaya as it should be used within six months after processing. Because as the age of Gum Karaya increases the viscosity decreases.
Karaya is one of the least soluble of the gums. It does not dissolve in water to give a clear solution but absorbs water rapidly to form a viscous colloidal solution at low concentrations.
