this essay was written by Saharanfox from the WSGN
GUM ARABIC has been used since the time of the Pharoahs. The name gum arabic comes from the fact it was shipped to Europe from Arab ports.
Gum Arabic occurs naturally as the gummy exudation of the Acacia Senegal tree (Hashab), obtained commercially by tapping the branches and hand-harvesting the yellowish-white spheroidal tears. It is tasteless, odorless, dissolves readily in hot or cold water, non-toxic, and non-calorific.
Kordofan Gum, collected in Upper Egypt and the Sudan, in Kordofan, Dafur and Arabia, and exported from Alexandria, is considered the best and is the kind generally used in pharmacy. It consists of small, irregular pieces, commonly whitish or slightly tinged with yellow, and is freer from impurities than most other commercial varieties.
According to Jumbo Trading Co. of Bangkok, Thailand (one of the world's largest commercial producers of gum arabic), spray-dried Kordofan gum is "a white powder consisting of complex polysaccharides. On hydrolysis it yields galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, and glucuronic acid with around 2% protein and a trace of sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium salt."
It is an essential element in various industries: candymaking, baking, beverage, pharmaceutical and vitamin, as well as chemical, cosmetic, printing and textile, to name a few. It's in the glaze on donuts, jujube candies, instant coffee and tea, puddings and fillings, frostings, artificial whipped cream, the hard shiny shell of M&Ms--even beer and certain soft drinks, to stabilize the foam "lace" on the side of the glass.
Gum Acacia is highly nutritious. During the time of the gum harvest, the Moors of the desert are said to live almost entirely on it, and it has been proven that 6 oz. is sufficient to support an adult human for twenty-four hours. It is related that the Bushman Hottentots have been known in times of scarcity to support themselves on it for days together. In many cases of disease, it is considered that a solution of Gum Arabic may for a time constitute the exclusive drink and food of the patient.
( www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/acaci006.html )
Human dietary intake studies have indicated a reduction in blood cholesterol levels when above-average amounts of Gum Arabic (25 grams per day) are ingested in solution.
When I contacted my vet about adding gum arabic to my gliders' diet, she said, "Knowing what it is, I would not foresee any sort of problem offering it as a supplement in small volumes."