Gum arabic (INS 414 and E414, acacia gum) is a tree gum exudate and has been an important article of commerce since Ancient times. It was used by the Egyptians for embalming mummies and also for paints for hieroglyphic inscriptions. Traditionally the gum has been obtained mainly from the Acacia senegal species. The trees grow widely across the Sahelian belt of Africa situated north of the equator up to the Sahara desert and from Senegal in the west to Somalia in the east.

The gum oozes from the stems and branches of trees, usually five years of age or more, when subjected to stress conditions such as drought, poor soil or wounding. Production is stimulated by ‘tapping’, which involves removing sections of the bark with an axe taking care not to damage the tree. The sticky gummy substance dries on the branches to form hard nodules which are picked by hand and are sorted according to colour and size.

There are two species now acceptable within the Codex Alimentarius Specification of Gum Arabic, namely Acacia Senegal and Acacia seyal. In Sudan the gum from Acacia senegal and seyal are referred to as hashab and talha respectively, The former is a pale to orange -brown solid which breaks with a glassy fracture and the latter is darker, more friable and is rarely found in lumps in export consignments. Hashab is undoubtedly the premier product but the lower priced talha has found recent uses which have boosted its value. It is difficult to identify precisely the exact balance between these two products in the market place since it is continually changing.