Natural gums are
polysaccharides of natural origin, capable of causing a large increase in a solution’s
viscosity, even at small concentrations. In the food industry they are used as
thickening agents,
gelling agents,
emulsifying agents, and
stabilizers. In other industries, they are also used as
adhesives, binding agents,
crystal inhibitors, clarifying agents, encapsulating agents,
flocculating agents, swelling agents, foam stabilizers, etc. Most often these
gums are found in the woody elements of plants or in seed coatings.