Chemistry Department

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Browsing Chemistry Department by Subject "Acacia"

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    Evaluation of gum exudates from three selected plant species from Tanzania for food and pharmaceutical applications
    (2003-01) Mbuna, Julius; Mhinzi, G.S.
    Authenticated gum samples from three plant species from Tanzania were analysed and their potential for food, pharmaceutical and other applications was determined by comparing their physicochemical properties with those of commercial Acacia gums from Tanzania, gum karaya and the specifications demanded by the international regulatory bodies for gum arabic for food and pharmaceutical applications. The gum exudate from Dichrostachys cinerea meets some specifications (moisture content, solubility, insoluble matter and ash) demanded for the identity and purity of gum arabic as stipulated by the international regulatory bodies. The aqueous solution of the gum possesses solubility and viscosity similar to commercial gum arabic. Similarly, the properties of Sterculia quinqueloba gum meet a number of the specifications demanded for gum karaya, except that it contains high levels of tannin which would limit its usefulness in food and pharmaceutical applications. The properties of the gum exudate from Acacia pseudofistula, on the other hand, are different from those of Tanzanian commercial Acacia gums.© 2002 Society of Chemical Industry
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    Intra-Species Variation of the Properties of Gum Exudates from Two Acacia Species of the Series Gummiferae
    (Elsevier, 2008) Mhinzi, G. S.; Mghweno, L. A. R.; Buchweishaija, Joseph
    Gum exudates from Acacia drepanolobium and A. kirkii ssp. kirkii var. kirkii from Tanzania have been analyzed and the intra-species variation of their properties evaluated. The results show that inter-species variation of the properties of the gum exudates from the two species exist, whereas only some parameters show intra-species variation. The specific optical rotations of the gum exudates varied from +72.0° to +94.6° for A. drepanolobium and +29.2° to +38.0°, for A. kirkii ssp. kirkii var. kirkii. Likewise, the acid equivalent weights (AEWs) varied from 832 to 1659 for A. drepanolobium and 663 to 1199 for A. kirkii ssp. kirkii var. kirkii. Intra-species variation for the tannin content was also observed for the species studied, whereas no intra-species variation was observed for the nitrogen and methoxyl contents. The results in this study show that the variation of the properties among the batches of commercial Acacia gum may be due to admixture of gums from different Acacia species, as well as intra-species variation.