General tragacanth

Natural Gums. These were used in early styling products, formerly called wave sets. Natural gums generally make hazy solutions and the dried film tends to flake. For these reasons they are rarely used. Some of these gums, eg, tragacanth and alginates, can create humidity-resistant films and have limited use for specific product concepts. 

The widely used preparations are gum acacia and tragacanth. vi. Tannins are nonnitrogenous constituents of plant. Chemically they are phenolic derivatives and are characterized by their astringent action. Tannins are generally employed in the treatment of diarrhoea and burns. The important plants which contains tannins are Amla, Behera, Hirda (in combination form Triphala ), Black catechu and Ashoka bark. 

The water present in the gel framework can be completely removed with some gelling agents. Gelatin sheets, acacia tears, and tragacanth ribbons are generally prepared by removal of water from their respective gel matrix. These dehydrated gel frameworks are called as xerogels. 

The structural details of the complex polysaccharides that occur in tragacanth and other natural plant gums have engaged the attention of research chemists for many years (tf). Although a general idea of their chemical nature is fairly well established, many difficulties are yet to be surmounted before sufficient exact detailed knowledge is accumulated to assign a unique structural formula to any specific gum (11). 

To meet the official U.S.P. XIV standards tragacanth must conform to the official description and comply with the identity tests, the test for limit of ash, and the special test to show the absence of karaya gum. The three best commercial grades of ribbon or flake tragacanth. Nos. 1, 2, and 3, will generally pass all requirements. Poorer grades may not meet the demands of U.S.P. quality. 

These gums are natural products and are produced under conditions of climate and so on which may vary from year to year or from location to location. Any given lot produces a viscosity that is inherent in that particular lot. What can be done, of course, is a general standardization of gum tragacanth for specific needs of the trade. It is necessary to know the customer s requirements in order to select the grade but it naturally increases the production cost to do that. 

Use of gum tragacanth dates back thousands of years ago as an emulsifier, viscosity builder, and suspending agent [3]. It has been recognized as generally safe in food stuffs at the 0.2-1.3% level in the USA since 1961. It has been coded as E413 in the list of additives by the Scientific Committee for Food of the European Community [4]. 

General Chemical Co. Developed by Joseph. A mixture of caustic soda, potash, and vanadium pentoxide added to wet mix of fine kieselguhr, potassium sulfate, and tragacanth gum. Dilute sulfuric acid added to neutralize alkalis. Mixture evaporated before granulation and extrusion. Calcined 600°C. 

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