Gum tragacanth

Gum tragacanth (more rarely also called “tragacanth gum”) is a dried exudate obtained from the stems and branches of about 20 species of leguminous plants in the genus Astragalus, particularly Astragalus adscendens, Astragalus creticus, Astragalus gummifer, and Astragalus tragacantha, which are native to southeastern Europe and southwest Asia. Indeed, the world’s largest producer is Iran, but it is also found in Iraq, Syria, Turkish Kurdistan and Greece.

The term adragant, or dragant, is derived from the Greek τραγάκανθα tragákantha, from τράγος trágos ‘goat’ and ἂκανθα ákantha ‘thorn,’ hence ‘goat thorn.’ In fact, these seedlings have thorns and are covered with a whitish, mucilaginous latex that exudes from the crevices of the branches and precisely resembles the wool of goats.

In addition to from plants, gum tragacanth today can also be obtained synthetically. It consists mainly of natural high-molecular-weight polysaccharides (galactoarabans and acid polysaccharides) that, by hydrolysis, yield galacturonic acid, galactose, arabinose, xylose and fucose. Small amounts of rhamnose and glucose from trace amounts of starch and/or cellulose may also be present.

Gum tragacanth is viscous, odorless, tasteless, and water-soluble. Because of these characteristics it is used mainly in pharmaceuticals to prepare emulsions, but also in the food industry as an additive (thickener for sauces, syrups, gummy candies, ice cream, decor fillings.