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| | Tragacanth gum Basic information |
| Product Name: | Tragacanth gum | | Synonyms: | Gum tragacanth power;TRAGACANTH GUM (ASTRAGALUS SPP.);Astragalus gum;Tragant gum;GUM TRAGACANTH;GUM SHIRAZ;FEMA 3079;SHIRAZ GUM | | CAS: | 9000-65-1 | | MF: | NULL | | MW: | 840000 | | EINECS: | 232-552-5 | | Product Categories: | | | Mol File: | Mol File | ![Tragacanth gum Structure]() |
| | Tragacanth gum Chemical Properties |
| FEMA | 3079 | TRAGACANTH GUM (ASTRAGALUS SPP.) | | solubility | H2O: soluble20mg/mL | | form | powder | | color | Buff coloured powder | | Odor | Odorless | | Water Solubility | Slightly soluble in water. | | Merck | 14,4581 | | Stability: | Stable. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents. High levels of dust in the air create the risk of explosion. | | EPA Substance Registry System | Gum tragacanth (9000-65-1) |
| | Tragacanth gum Usage And Synthesis |
| Chemical Properties | light beige powder | | Chemical Properties | Tragacanth gum occurs as flattened, lamellated, frequently curved
fragments, or as straight or spirally twisted linear pieces from
0.5–2.5mm in thickness; it may also be obtained in a powdered
form. White to yellowish in color, tragacanth is a translucent,
odorless substance, with an insipid mucilaginous taste. | | Chemical Properties | Gum tragacanth is the dried exudate from several species of Astragalus (A. gummifer Labillardiere, or other Asiatic species
of Astragalus), a shrub that grows wild in mountainous regions of the Middle East, particularly Iran. The gum is obtained by making
incisions in the taproots of the plant; to a lesser extent, the branches also are tapped. The gum exudate is in the form of curled ribbons
or flakes, which become horny on drying. Collections are made by hand in May to October and are sorted, graded, packed and shipped.
The processor then further grades, cleans, mills and blends the gum, and sells it in the form of ribbons, flakes, granules or powder. | | Physical properties | As collected, tragacanth is white to weak yellow, translucent; horny in texture, having a short
fracture. It is rendered more easily pulverizable if heated to 50°C. Powdered tragacanth is white to yellowish white. Gum tragacanth
swells in cold water to give extremely viscous colloidal solutions, probably the most viscous of all the plant gums. | | Uses | Tragacanth is a gum produced from a bush of the genus astragalus. It swells in water to give a highly viscous sol or paste. A 1% solution of the purest gum has a viscosity of approximately 3,400 cps, and about 2% can form a paste. Solutions have a ph of 5–6. It is stable at low ph and is an effective suspending agent because of its stability and acid resistance. It is used in salad dressings, sauces, fruit fillings, and citrus beverages. It is also termed gum tragacanth. | | Uses | In pharmaceutical compounding and dispensing, e.g., to suspend heavy insoluble powders, as an excipient for tablets and to impart consistence to troches; also in making emulsions and emulsifying agents; as stabilizer, thickener, texturizer in food; in adhesives (mucilages, pastes); in textile sizing, textile printing and general printing inks, and in dyeing with insoluble color lakes. | | Uses | tragacanth gum is an effective emulsifying agent, binder, film former, and viscosity controller, it is also used as a stabilizing ingredient in lotions. Tragacanth gum is derived from the resin of the Astragalus gummifer shrub. | | Production Methods | Tragacanth gum is the air-dried gum obtained from Astragalus
gummifer Labillardie`re and other species of Astragalus grown
principally in Iran, Syria, and Turkey. A low-quality gum is obtained by collecting the natural air-dried exudate from Astragalus
bushes. A higher-grade material is obtained by making incisions in
the trunk and branches of the bush, which are held open with
variously sized wooden pegs. The exudate is left to drain from the
incision and dry naturally in the air before being collected. The size
and position of the wooden wedges determine the physical form of
the exudate, while the drying conditions determine the color of the
gum. After collection, the tragacanth gum is sorted by hand into
various grades, such as ribbons or flakes. | | General Description | Tragacanth is a gum commonly found in the sap of various Middle Eastern legumes. It is commonly used as freezing-embedding medium for tissue preservation. | | Pharmaceutical Applications | Tragacanth gum is used as an emulsifying and suspending agent in a
variety of pharmaceutical formulations. It is used in creams, gels,
and emulsions at various concentrations according to the application
of the formulation and the grade of gum used.
Tragacanth gum is also used similarly in cosmetics and food
products, and has been used as a diluent in tablet formulations. | | Safety Profile | Mildly toxic by
ingestion. A mild allergen. A skin and eye
irritant. Combustible when exposed to heat
or flame. When heated to decomposition it
emits acrid smoke and irritating fumes. | | Safety | Tragacanth has been used for many years in oral pharmaceutical
formulations and food products, and is generally regarded as an
essentially nontoxic material. Tragacanth has been shown to be
noncarcinogenic. However, hypersensitivity reactions, which are
occasionaly severe, have been reported following ingestion of
products containing tragacanth. Contact dermatitis has also
been reported following the topical use of tragacanth formulations.
The WHO has not specified an acceptable daily intake for
tragacanth gum, as the daily intake necessary to achieve a desired
effect, and its background levels in food, were not considered to be a
hazard to health.
LD50 (hamster, oral): 8.8 g/kg
LD50 (mouse, oral): 10 g/kg
LD50 (rabbit, oral): 7.2 g/kg
LD50 (rat, oral): 16.4 g/kg | | storage | Both the flaked and powdered forms of tragacanth are stable.
Tragacanth gels are liable to exhibit microbial contamination with
enterobacterial species, and stock solutions should therefore
contain suitable antimicrobial preservatives. In emulsions, glycerin
or propylene glycol are used as preservatives; in gel formulations,
tragacanth is usually preserved with either 0.1% w/v benzoic acid
or sodium benzoate. A combination of 0.17% w/v methylparaben
and 0.03% w/v propylparaben is also an effective preservative for
tragacanth gels. Gels may be sterilized by
autoclaving. Sterilization by gamma irradiation causes a marked
reduction in the viscosity of tragacanth dispersions.
Tragacanth dispersions are most stable at pH 4–8, although
stability is satisfactory at higher pH or as low as pH 2.
The bulk material should be stored in an airtight container in a
cool, dry place. | | Incompatibilities | At pH 7, tragacanth has been reported to considerably reduce the
efficacy of the antimicrobial preservatives benzalkonium chloride,
chlorobutanol, and methylparaben, and to a lesser extent that of
phenol and phenylmercuric acetate. However, at pH < 5
tragacanth was reported to have no adverse effects on the
preservative efficacy of benzoic acid, chlorobutanol, or methylparaben.
The addition of strong mineral and organic acids can reduce the
viscosity of tragacanth dispersions. Viscosity may also be reduced
by the addition of alkali or sodium chloride, particularly if the
dispersion is heated. Tragacanth is compatible with relatively high
salt concentrations and most other natural and synthetic suspending
agents such as acacia, carboxymethylcellulose, starch, and sucrose.
Ayellow colored, stringy, precipitate is formed with 10% w/v ferric
chloride solution. | | Regulatory Status | GRAS listed. Accepted for use as a food additive in Europe.
Included in the FDA Inactive Ingredients Database (buccal/
sublingual tablets, oral powders, suspensions, syrups, and tablets).
Included in nonparenteral medicines licensed in the UK. Included in
the Canadian List of Acceptable Non-medicinal Ingredients. |
| | Tragacanth gum Preparation Products And Raw materials |
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