Functional Characteristics of Gum from Acacia Nubica

Abstract

The physicochemical of gum exudates from Acacia Nubica were analyzed and compared to those for Acacia Senegal gum. The molecular weight of Acacia Nubica and Acacia Senegal were determined using gel permeation chromatography (GPC) with on-line monitoring using light scattering, refractive index and UV absorbance detector, the result show that the three main component designated arabinogalactane protein (AGP), arabinogalactan (AG) and glycoprotein (GP) known to be present in Acacia Senegal could also be present in Acacia Nubica. However, in Acacia Nubica, the high molecular (AGP) component is less significant and present in less proportion than Acacia Senegal. The protein distribution in Acacia Nubica is different, and whereas the protein in Acacia Senegal is mainly associated with the high molecular weight component (AGP~106). It is distributed differently and mainly associated with a lower molecular weight component (AG) in Acacia Nubica. Emulsification studies of Acacia Nubica samples showed a poor emulsification performance and less stability than Acacia Senegal sample although it possessed large droplet size