What Is Gum Arabic?

FDA rules at 21 CFR 184.1330 define acacia, or gum arabic, as the dried gummy exudate from the stems and branches of various Acacia trees. The rule sets maximum use levels by food category, for example 2.0 percent in beverages and beverage bases, where it may serve as an emulsifier, flavoring agent, formulation aid, or stabilizer and thickener. FDA rules say an ingredient affirmed as generally recognized as safe with specific limitations may be used only within those limits, including the category of food, its function and the level of use.

The FDA is moving to count it as fiber. On December 17, 2021, it announced that it intends to propose including acacia (gum arabic) in its definition of dietary fiber, in response to a citizen petition, after determining that the evidence supports that gum acacia can help reduce blood glucose and insulin levels when eaten with a meal containing a carbohydrate that raises blood glucose. Its dietary fiber questions and answers say that until it completes rulemaking, it intends to exercise enforcement discretion so manufacturers can include such additional fibers in the dietary fiber declaration on Nutrition Facts labels.

A 2017 European Food Safety Authority panel concluded there is no need for a numerical acceptable daily intake for acacia gum (E 414) and no safety concern for the general population at its refined exposure estimate. It reported that daily intake of up to 30,000 mg per person for up to 18 days was well tolerated in adults, though some people had flatulence, which the panel considered undesirable but not adverse.