ABSTRACT
Gum ghatti, also known as Indian gum, is an amorphous, translucent exudate of the Anogeissus latifolia tree of the Combretaceae family. Since ghatti is found in the same geographic areas as gum karaya, harvesting and grading methods are similar. Gum ghatti occurs in nature as a mixed calcium and magnesium salt of a complex polysaccharidic acid. Gum ghatti does not form true aqueous solutions but forms viscous dispersions in water at concentrations of about 5% or higher and exhibits typical non-Newtonian behavior common to most hydrocolloids. The role of cations on the viscosity of gum ghatti solutions is quite important. The gel fraction of ghatti, responsible for most of its viscous behavior, is predominantly a calcium salt. Gum ghatti has been used in food, drug, and cosmetic applications, primarily as a stabilizer for oil-in-water emulsions. At present very little ghatti is used in food applications, one major reason probably being the limited world supply.
