Low carb gum

The launch comes as many consumers, both in the US and Europe, are reading food labels more carefully in an attempt to follow low-carbohydrate, low-sugar diets. This is putting demands on food manufacturers, who in turn are looking for effective ingredient replacers to decrease sugar and carbohydrate contents.

Mar B. Nieto, director of technical services for TIC Gums​ said: "Gum arabic could be used as a partial replacement or full replacement of corn syrups in granola bars, candy bars, snack clusters, cookies and other similar products. Gum arabic has a low viscosity that makes it possible to prepare it into a syrup at high concentration."​

Pre-hydrated gum arabic powder can also be dissolved into water and made into a syrup. This means that the product may act like a high-carb ingredient - although it is not, the company insists.

The product has the advantage of performing similarly to a corn syrup or maltodextrin, with a different nutrient profile, it claims. The product works in recipes because it thins out when heating and thickens when it cools, but unlike higher-carb syrups, gum arabic is comprised of 85 per cent soluble dietary fibre.

In calculating net carb levels, soluble dietary fibre levels are subtracted from a products' total carbohydrate listing. This means that a product made with gum arabic may then be labelled as low-carb or reduced-carb.

Beyond replacing corn syrup, maltodextrin and other syrups, the gum can be used in conjunction with other ingredients in low-carb products. It is said to mix well with artificial sweeteners, as well as with proteins commonly found in low-carb, high-protein foods and beverages.

"In the past month, I have received numerous calls from manufacturers wanting to replace starch and sugars in products like gravies, soups, tortillas, snack bars, breads, pasta and meal replacers,"​ Nieto said, adding that he expects interest to continue as long as eating plans like the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet remain popular.