Biophysical investigation of plant exudate of Acacia senegal (L) Willd. from Sudan-savannah ecological zone of Nigeria (original) (raw)

Plant gum exudate harvested from Acacia senegal (Acacia gum/gum Arabic) is the most widely used plant gum especially in food and pharmaceutical industries due to its non toxicity and excellent properties as emulsifiers and stabilizers in emulsions. It consists of complex polysaccharides and glycoprotein, and its qualities are defined by the biophysical properties of the gum. Analyses of some biophysical properties using range of techniques were carried out for harvested, untreated gum Arabic from Sudan-savannah ecological zone of Nigeria. The results revealed that it has some qualities which were in agreement with the international standard specified for gum Arabic. The soil type of the study area was found to be clayey-sandy in nature.