SUBTOPIC: Human uses
– Gums are used in the food industry as thickening agents, gelling agents, emulsifying agents, and stabilizers.
– Gums are utilized in industrial adhesives, binding agents, crystal inhibitors, clarifying agents, and encapsulating agents.
– They serve as flocculating agents, swelling agents, and foam stabilizers.
– Many gums are fermented by microbes in the lower gastrointestinal tract, influencing the gut microbiome.
– Consumption of gums may impact the ecology and functions of microbial communities.
SUBTOPIC: Commercial significance
– Natural gums have been used for various purposes, including chewing and manufacturing products like varnish and lacquerware.
– Before synthetic equivalents, gum trade was significant in regions like the Arabian peninsula and West Africa.
– Gum trade was lucrative, with returns sometimes exceeding 100%.
– Gums were essential in dyeing, cotton printing, silk fabrication, medical preparations, confectionery, and more.
– Dutch merchants discovered high-quality gum in the African Sahara, boosting commerce.
SUBTOPIC: Research and Studies
– Studies have shown that human gut microbiota consume xanthan gum.
– Gums like red seaweed glycans are catabolized by bacteria in the gut microbiome.
– Understanding the mechanisms of gum consumption by gut microbiota is a focus of research.
– Gums play a role in the interactions between gut microbes and human health.
– Research provides insights into the impact of gum consumption on the human microbiome.
SUBTOPIC: Historical Trade
– Gum trade was historically significant between British and French merchants on the West African coast.
– Gum was a crucial commodity for manufacturers in England and France.
– Gum was used in various industries like dyeing, cotton printing, silk fabrication, and medical preparations.
– Dutch merchants discovered high-quality gum in the African Sahara.
– African gum was found to be purer and of better quality than Arabian gum.
SUBTOPIC: Industrial Applications
– Gums are used in various industrial applications as stabilizers, thickeners, and emulsifiers.
– They are employed in adhesives, binding agents, crystal inhibitors, and clarifying agents.
– Gums serve as encapsulating agents, flocculating agents, swelling agents, and foam stabilizers.
– The versatility of gums makes them valuable in numerous industrial processes.
– Gums are essential components in a wide range of industrial products and processes.
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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.
