Today, acacia gum is mostly used in the food industry. For the first time, international leader Alland & Robert makes powdered organic acacia gum available to consumers.
100 % natural, vegetal and a prebiotic fiber, it is an ideal and multifunctional ingredient to cook at home!
Today, Alland & Robert provides its expertise to consumers for the first time by launching powdered organic acacia gum packaged in a doypack of 150 grams net. The product is distributed online via French marketplace Greenweez and soon, Amazon.
There are 2 acacia varieties that exudate acacia gum. Alland & Robert’s acacia gum available to consumers is senegal variety. It’s the highest quality of organic gum with most functional properties.
Anne-Sophie Alland, Head of strategy & development at Alland & Robert, commented : « Acacia gum is a real asset for cooks looking for healthy recipes. It is an extraordinary, multifunctional ingredient, but still little known in many countries. Its functional properties are so numerous that it is useful in a multitude of recipes, whether in pastry, baking, in sauces or soups. It is Alland & Robert’s unique expertise that allows us to share these diverse applications of acacia gum. Since 1884, Alland & Robert is an expert of this product and manufactures it for the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. around the world. Our investments in Research and Development on acacia gum are very important and allow us to have unparalleled technical expertise. Our research focuses on health topics such as sugar reduction, digestive health or formulating vegetarian products. »
Violaine Fauvarque, Marketing & Communication Manager at Alland & Robert, added: « Acacia gum is a cooking ingredient already well known in many countries such as India and the Middle East. However, two years of pandemic have prompted consumers to cook more at home, and to take an interest to new ingredients to diversify their recipes. At the same time, people are scrutinizing more and more the content of their plates and looking for naturalness. Acacia gum meets these requirements because it comes directly from a tree and is minimally processed. It is a plant-based and natural ingredient that is easy to use to improve a recipe. In addition, it makes it easy to achieve vegetarian or vegan recipes, all this while providing fiber enrichment ! »
ACACIA GUM, A NATURAL RESOURCE unknown to the general public
As a 100% plant-based, natural product that’s environmental-friendy, acacia gum has become a highly sought-after raw material. Also called «gum arabic», it has many applications in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries
WHAT IS ACACIA GUM ? Acacia gum is an exudate of the acacia trees: it’s neither sap nor resin. It is produced by the tree naturally or as a result of a small incision made by harvesters on its branches.
HOW IS IT HARVESTED ? The acacia gum harvest takes place from January to April, using a completely natural process. There are several stages. First step, the tapping is the incision on the tree by the harvester. It does not damage the tree but will trigger a complex gum exudation mechanism to cover the incision. The gum dries on contact with air and gradually forms a nodule. A few weeks later, the harvesters come to cut and pick up the nodules formed. These are then dried, sorted and stored.
70 000 years Historians have found evidence of the use of acacia gum for over 70,000 years in southern and northeastern Africa, in food and as an adhesive.
WHERE DOES ACACIA GUM COME FROM ? Acacia gum is harvested from Senegal to Eritrea, an area known as the «gum belt». Alland & Robert works mainly with producers from Senegal, Chad, Sudan and Mali. Acacias are particularly adapted to the dry and semi-arid climate of this sub-Saharan region. They are known to prevent desertification, nourish and fertilize the soil, and stabilize rain cycles.
POWDERED ORGANIC ACACIA GUM BY ALLAND & ROBERT, A PRODUCT IN LINE WITH CURRENT TRENDS
Acacia gum properties meet many recent consumers demands. A « miracle ingredient », acacia gum combines nutritional qualities, functional properties and sustainability. Overview.
> Natural & organic – Acacia gum is exudated and harvested directly on wild acacia trees growing in the desert, thus it is completely natural and organic by nature. It is transformed into a powder by mechanical processes and never undergoes chemical transformation.
> Veggie Veggie! – Acacia gum helps to improve the texture of recipes without eggs or milk by adding a creamy mouthfeel. Quite interesting for vegans !
> Emulsifier – Acacia gum is a perfect emulsifying agent which means it will perfectly mix liquids such as water and oil. It’s convenient for making dressings, smoothies or beverages.
> Gluten-free diets – Acacia gum improves the texture of gluten-free recipes, which often lack softness.
> Fiber enrichment – Acacia gum is a prebiotic fiber that helps with gut health and improves the nutritional profile of recipes.
> Ethic and sustainable product – The gum harvest is an old local tradition that provides revenues for the African communities. In addition, acacia trees are an environmental resource that help regulate rain cycles, prevent desertification and restore fertility to soils, which is why they are planted as part of the «Great Green Wall» initiative.
Acacia gum can simply be added to any preparation, usually at the same time as the flour, starch or any dry matter. It is effective at a rather light dose: between 1 and 6% of the total weight of the recipe.
ALLAND & ROBERT, A COMPANY COMMITTED TO THE SAHEL & LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Committed for several years to local communities in the Sahel as well as to the development of a sustainable industry, Alland & Robert created in 2021 a corporate foundation in order to strengthen its commitments in Africa, and particularly in countries where natural gums are harvested. The objective of this corporate foundation: to create a positive impact through the organization, the support and the financing of local and concrete projects. The efforts are concentrated around two axes:
> community support: through various projects related to education, health, infrastructure, women’s empowerment;
> preservation of the environment and biodiversity: by leading initiatives to protect African nature, and fight against desertification and climate change
Through a partnership with UK NGO Tree Aid, Alland & Robert is committed to the “Great Green Wall”, an African initiative whose objective is to replant trees over an 8,000 km long strip in the sub-Saharan zone to stop the desert.
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