Gum Arabic

Food grade Gum Arabic is the hardened sap of the Acacia tree grown in Kenya. Gum arabic is heavily used in the food and beverage industry as a stabilizer or thickener. The properties that make it useful in food processing have also led to its use in brewing, primarily as a foam stabilizer/head retention agent, but also in fining agents to assist with beer clarification. 

There has also been at least one claim that a gum arabic solution can also improve beer flavor by stabilizing aromatic compounds in the beer, adding sweetness, and coating a drinker’s mouth.

Gum arabic’s use as a head retention agent comes in two forms: as a solution sprayed onto green malt, which is then used in combination with nontreated malt, and as a powdered or flaked form of gum arabic that can be added later during the brewing process.

Gum Arabic beats modified starches for beverage stability Gum Arabic is still the best option for stabilizing beverage emulsions, when compared with modified starches.