ABSTRACT
Gum tragacanth is a heterogeneous, highly branded polymer composed of a major acidic polysaccharide and a minor neutral polysaccharide plus insignificant amounts of associated cellulose, protein, and starch. Gum tragacanth swells in water to give thick viscous dispersions or pastes similar in texture to soft gels. Rheologically tragacanth shows pseudoplastic behaviour typical of most gums. Gum tragacanth has well defined surface active properties and produces a rapid lowering of the surface tension of water at low concentrations. Gum tragacanth is compatible with most gum systems and viscosities are usually additive when it is used in mixed gum systems. Gum tragacanth has been used in a broad range of applications in foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and diverse industrial uses. Gum tragacanth has been effectively used in the past as an ice cream stabilizer giving good body and texture by holding huge quantities of water uniformly distributed as water of hydration.
