Gum Arabic Powder | Acacia senegal

What Is Gum Arabic?

Gum arabic, also called acacia gum, is the natural, hardened sap of the gum acacia tree (Acacia senegal, now also classified as Senegalia senegal). The tree grows in the dry Sahel belt of Africa, from Senegal to Sudan, and the gum has been collected and traded across Africa and the Middle East for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians used it in paints and in mummification.

Workers make small cuts in the bark during the dry season. The sap seeps out and hardens into pale amber tears, which are collected by hand, cleaned and ground into a fine, pale, almost odorless powder that dissolves easily in water.

Gum arabic is one of the most useful natural ingredients there is. In the kitchen it is a binder, thickener and stabilizer: bartenders use it to make gomme syrup for silky cocktails, and bakers use it in sugarcraft, fondant, glazes, marshmallows and gummies. It is also the classic binder in watercolor paint, calligraphy ink, paper marbling and photography, and a gentle glue for paper crafts.

Gum arabic powder is also used by makers of natural cosmetics as a plant-based thickener and emulsifier.

Our gum arabic powder contains only ground Acacia senegal gum with nothing added. It is sold by weight, from small packs to bulk.