Gum Karaya (Sterculia Urens)

Gum Karaya
Latin Name: Sterculia Urens
Quality: White / Brown / Red (Available)
Packaging: 50kg bags

Gum Karaya or sterculia urens has been utilized in traditional African and Indian cuisine for many generations. Today, karaya gum is a clean label ingredient with great digestive tolerance because it is a soluble fiber that is employed in the food and pharmaceutical industries. The EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) additive referential classifies karaya gum as E416.

According to their country of origin, karaya gum or sterculia urens has different physical, chemical, and microbiological properties: Indian gum has a good microbiological quality, whereas African gum is recognized to have higher viscosity and swelling potency.

The commercial use of karaya or sterculia urens gum dates back about 100 years. In the early 20th century, it was widely used as an adulterant or as a substitute for tragacanth gum.(2003) Verbeken Experience showed that karaya gum was more practical than tragacanth gum since it was less expensive and had certain physiochemical qualities. India has long been the world’s leading producer and exporter of karaya gum.Worden 2003 The gum has been utilized as a bulking agent and in a number of goods, such as creams and cosmetics.