Gum arabic in soft drink

Arabic or acacia gum is the dried exudates of a various species of the genus Acacia, subfamily Mimosideae and family Leguminosae. The use of gum arabic by man dates back at least 4000 years to the ancient Egypt.

It is complicated mixture of long and short chains of sugars (arabinogalactan oligosaccharides and polysaccharides) and glycoproteins (proteins with sugars attached).

The gum arabic is added to the water phase of the emulsion and after the homogenization process it plays the role of an emulsion stabilizer.

Gum arabic is an excellent stabilizer for soft drink emulsions and has been the predominantly preferred stabilizer for soft drinks. Gum arabic is included on Pepsi's ingredient list. New gum Arabic substitutes made from starches are available for use in soft drinks and may be easier to mix.

Gum arabic is an encapsulating agent to protect lipid or liposobluble materials that are sensitive to decomposition and as texturing or filming agent in confectionery.
Gum arabic in soft drink