Nutritional Evaluation of Gum Arabic and Its Food Products Locally Prepared in Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan

Pawan Kumar; Aijaz Hussain Soomro; Asadullah Marri; Omer Mukhtar Tarar; Nida Shaikh; Asif Irshad; Allah Bux Baloch; Muhammad Dawood

doi:10.53560/PPASB(62-3)1111

Authors

Pawan Kumar Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Hyderabad, Pakistan
Aijaz Hussain Soomro Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Hyderabad, Pakistan
Asadullah Marri Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Hyderabad, Pakistan
Omer Mukhtar Tarar Food and Marine Resources Research Centre, Pakistan Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (PCSIR), Laboratories Complex, Karachi, 75280, Pakistan
Nida Shaikh Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Hyderabad, Pakistan
Asif Irshad Department of Food Preservation, Technical Wing of Colleges, Higher & Technical Education Department, Balochistan, Pakistan
Allah Bux Baloch Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Hyderabad, Pakistan
Muhammad Dawood Institute of Food Sciences and Technology, Sindh Agriculture University, Tandojam, Hyderabad, Pakistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53560/PPASB(62-3)1111

Keywords:

Gum Arabic, Traditional Foods, Nutritional Composition, Amino Acids, Malnutrition, Tharparkar Sindh

Abstract

Gum Arabic is an edible, dried, gummy exudate extracted from the stems and branches of Acacia Senegal. It is commonly used in the pharmaceutical and food industries as an emulsifier and stabilizer agent. The present study assessed the nutritional composition of gum Arabic (T₁) and its food products, namely T₂ (Khorak) and T₃ (Gond Pak), which were locally prepared in Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan. Gum Arabic was sourced from the local tree Acacia Senegal, whereas its food products, i.e., Khorak and Gond Pak, were prepared and evaluated for proximate composition, amino acids profiling, minerals, and vitamins quantification. The observed results showed significant differences (p ≤ 0.05) among treatments. The T₁ exhibited higher values for ash (3.17%), dietary fiber (66.10%), titratable acidity (1.5%), valine (0.30 mg/g), serine (0.68 mg/g), potassium (254.22 mg/100g), sodium (118.55 mg/100g), calcium (7976.30 mg/kg), magnesium (2061.5 mg/kg), iron (76.57 mg/kg), and thiamine (7.74 mg/100g). T₂ showed higher pH (5.47), moisture (11.61%), carbohydrate (39.25%), energy value (308.65 kcal/100g), methionine (0.02 mg/g), isoleucine (0.16 mg/g), leucine (0.68 mg/g), tyrosine (0.39 mg/g), lysine (3.35 mg/g), vitamin A (141.33 IU/100g), vitamin C (4.65 mg/100g), niacin (26.25 mg/100g), and pyridoxine (0.06 mg/100g). T₃ had higher protein (12.29%), crude fat (15.99%), aspartic acid (1.66 mg/g), threonine (0.533 mg/g), glutamic acid (4.43 mg/g), proline (0.079 mg/g), glycine (0.446 mg/g), alanine (0.443 mg/g), phenylalanine (0.54 mg/g), histidine (0.20 mg/g), tryptophan (0.92 mg/g), riboflavin (0.71 mg/100g), folate (21.97 mg/100g), and cyanocobalamin (1.17 mg/100g). Cysteine, arginine, vitamin D, E, pantothenic acid, and biotin were not detected in any treatments. The study concludes that gum Arabic and its food products are highly nutritious, suggesting their suitability for consumption in regions with prevalent malnutrition.

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