Larch Gum

Larch Gum. Larch gum [37320-79-9] (larch arabinogalactan) is obtained by water extraction of the western larch tree, iLarix occidentalism the heartwood of which contains 5—35% on a dry wood basis. In the early 1960s, a countercurrent hot water extraction system was developed, and the gum was produced commercially by the St. Regis Paper Co. under the trade name Stractan. The potential production capacity of this gum is 10,000 t/yr based on the wood residues from the lumber industry. However, the product could not compete with gum arabic, and commercial production is now limited to small batches for a specific medical appHcation. 

Larch gum is readily soluble in water. The viscosity of these solutions is lower than that of most other natural gums and solutions of over 40% soHds are easily prepared. These highly concentrated solutions are also unusual because of their Newtonian flow properties. Larch gum reduces the surface tension of water solutions and the interfacial tension existing in water and oil mixtures, and thus is an effective emulsifying agent. As a result of these properties, larch gum has been used in foods and can serve as a gum arabic substitute. 

During the last decade, the larch AG, known as larch gum in food applications, has produced emerging commercial and scientific interest, which follows closely upon recent reports related to the beneficial physiological effects of the commercial larch AG and its immunomodulatory properties [379,380]. 

A number of non-proteinaceous substances of plant origin are known that induce or inhibit the sensation of sweetness. Sweetness inducers and enhancers from plants include cynarin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, and arabinogalactin (larch gum) (33). A synthetic compound, 2-(4-methoxyphenoxy)propanoic acid, which is also a constituent of roasted coffee beans, is currently on the market as a sweetness inhibitor (33). Several oleanane-type triterpene esters with sweetness-inhibitory activity occur in Gynmema sylvestre leaves (33,116,117), with dammarane-type saponins with similar effects having been reported recently from the leaves of Hovenia dulcis Thunb. (Rhamnaceae) (118) and Ziziphusjujuba Mill. (Rhamnaceae) (33,119,120). 

CAS 9036-66-2 EINECS/ELINCS 232-910-0 FEMA 3254 INS409 Synonyms (+)-Arabinogalactan Arabinogalactoglycan Larch gum Larch turpentine Polyarabinogalactan Stractan Venetian turpentine Classification Natural oleoresin Definition Polysaccharide extracted from Western... 

Glicksman M 1969 Arabinogalactan (larch gum, Stractan). In Glicksman M (ed) Gum technology in the food industry. Academic Press New York, 191-198... 

Larch gum resembles the composition of gum arabic (arabinose content is usually 10-20%), but contains a lower amount of uronic acids. It consists of two fractions of nearly neutral arabinogalactans of different relative molecular weights (about 16 and 100 kDa). The main chain consists, as in gum arabic, of D-galactopyranose units linked by P-(l— 3) bonds. The C-6 positions contain short side chains composed of arabinose and galactose (4-168). 

Larch gum forms highly concentrated aqueous solutions (60%). It is stable in the pH range of 1.5 to 10.5, even in the presence of electrolytes. 

Larch gum is used in the food industry as a substitute for gum arabic. It is used also as a thickener and surfactant... 

An industrial source of larch gum is the western larch Larix occidentalis, Pinaceae), native to the mountains of western North America, whose wood contains up to 35% galactoarabans these are... 

Larch gum commenrlal source, citrus waste. Western larch Galactose, arabinose. 

Synonyms ( i )-Arabinogalaclan Arabinogalactoglycan Larch gum Larch tuqien-... 

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