Jumbo Trading’s gum arabic trail from Africa to Asia

Ingredients with multifunctional properties are crucial for brands aiming to optimize both performance and formulation versatility. Gum arabic is one valued for its adaptability in both edible and industrial applications. Food and beverage manufacturers use this natural additive as stabilizing and emulsifying agents and a fiber source.

In Southeast Asia, Jumbo Trading Co., Ltd. claims a unique position as the region’s only manufacturer of gum arabic, supplying 100% natural gum arabic to brands in key sectors including food, pharmaceuticals, medical nutrition, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. This sole presence allows the Thai company to offer direct access to high-quality, locally manufactured gum arabic across Asia and other regions.

Through a strong Thai-Sudan partnership, the company sources premium-grade raw gum arabic from Sudan, one of the world’s most renowned origins, while processing is conducted at the company’s facility in Chachoengsao province, Thailand.

FoodPacific Manufacturing Journal gained further insight into the company’s beginnings, production, and expansion plans, during an interview with Ms. Chantana Smitinandana, Assistant to the Managing Director of Jumbo Trading.

Ms. Chantana Smitinandana

What opportunities sparked the creation of Jumbo Trading Co., Ltd?

About two decades ago, Thailand’s food industry began accelerating its production standards to align with international requirements, driven by the growing demand for exports. This shift brought a strong emphasis on sourcing ingredients that are both nutritionally valuable and safe for consumers.

The rising trend in clean eating and functional health foods has significantly influenced manufacturers to seek out natural ingredients and to avoid synthetic additives. The goal is to offer consumers products that deliver the most health benefits—true to the saying, “You are what you eat.”

Recognizing this shift, our management saw gum arabic as a highly suitable solution. It is a 100% natural, non-GMO ingredient, rich in nutritional properties, and has been widely consumed for decades across Europe and the United States. This led to the establishment of Jumbo Trading Co., Ltd., with the vision to import premium-quality gum Arabic, process it locally in Thailand, and distribute it to both domestic and international markets.

What characterizes high-quality gum arabic?    

High-quality gum arabic should be a dried gummy exudate that is odorless, and does not affect the flavor, odor, or color of the final product or solution. It is a complex polysaccharide, which upon hydrolysis yields galactose, rhamnose, arabinose, and glucuronic acid, and typically contains around 2% protein, with trace amounts of sodium, magnesium, calcium, and potassium salts.

The product is usually a white to yellowish-white powder, functioning effectively as an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickening agent. Each batch should be well selected and pre-cleaned through a combination of hammering and screening to achieve a consistent size.

Gum arabic which comes in different forms, has diverse applications across both food and non-food industries. It is a natural gum made of hardened sap taken from two species of the acacia tree; Senegalia (Acacia) senegal and Vachellia (Acacia) seyal (Source: Jumbo Trading)

What are the most common applications for gum arabic?

Gum arabic offers a wide range of functional benefits across food, ready-to-eat meals, snacks, baked goods, cakes and beverage applications. It acts as an emulsifier promoting the mixing of oil and water, a stabilizer preventing sedimentation, a thickening agent, binding agent, and a film-forming agent, which helps protect products from oxidation after dissolving in water. It also supports essential oil encapsulation, enhances mouthfeel, prevents sugar crystallization, and serves as an effective fat replacer. These properties collectively help extend product shelf life and maintain freshness.

Nutritionally, gum arabic is low in cholesterol, high in dietary fiber, and free from harmful toxins. It is chemically stable in pH ranges from 4 to 10, and due to its neutral color, taste, and odor, it does not interfere with the sensory profile of finished products. Moreover, it is fully water-soluble, making it highly adaptable across various formulations.

Gum arabic is also widely applied in non-food industries, including printing, pharmaceuticals, medical nutrition, dietary supplements, and cosmetics industries.

In food formulation, arabic gum powder can act as a stabilizer or emulsifier, and improve texture, mouthfeel, and foam control. (Photo: Jumbo Trading)

Jumbo Trading manages a full value chain, from farming in Sudan to manufacturing in Thailand. What advantages does this integrated model provide?

Thanks to the collaboration between Jumbo Trading Co., Ltd. in Thailand and our trusted leading company in Sudan, we are able to source high-quality raw materials directly from the origin. Despite occasional domestic challenges in Sudan, our supply chain remains stable, allowing us to maintain a consistent and uninterrupted import of raw gum arabic for further processing in Thailand.

Are there innovations or developments in gum arabic manufacting?

Currently, our production process focuses on fine grinding of gum arabic. As the only company in the East Asia region manufacturing gum arabic, Jumbo Trading recognizes the importance of continuous product development to meet the quality expectations of importers from European markets.

We are now conducting a feasibility study to determine the potential for expanding our operations into spray-dried gum arabic production. Several European countries have already moved in this direction, anticipating increasing global demand for gum arabic as a functional ingredient in food applications.

To stay competitive and support long-term growth, we believe it is essential to scale up our production capacity and develop advanced formats such as spray-dried and instant gum arabic that meet future market needs.

What is Jumbo Trading’s production capacity?

Our facility is a small-scale manufacturing plant with a production capacity of 1.5 metric tons per day, or approximately 45 metric tons per month.

Where do you see the gum Arabic market heading in the next five years, and how is your company preparing for that future?

Today’s consumers—both locally and internationally—are increasingly informed and health-conscious, actively seeking out nutritional ingredients that offer real health benefits. This shift has prompted manufacturers to be more selective in sourcing ingredients that align with these evolving expectations.

At Jumbo Trading, we are confident that demand for our products will continue to rise in line with these consumption trends. In response, we have upgraded our facility to expand raw material storage capacity and invested in additional production machinery to increase monthly output. These efforts are aimed at ensuring we can effectively meet the growing volume of customer orders in the near future. 

Processing gum arabic

Raw material handling: Gum arabic is first transported to the production site where it undergoes initial sorting to remove impurities such as dry twigs, dust, and any traces of metal. Only clean, high-quality lumps are selected for further processing.
Primary crushing: The selected gum arabic is crushed into smaller crystals using a crushing machine. It is then further reduced in size to particles smaller than 6 mm.
Milling: The kibbled gum arabic is transferred to a milling machine for fine grinding.
Sieving and packing: The milled gum arabic is sifted through a 100-mesh sieve to ensure uniform particle size. The fine powder is then packed into 25 kg PE plastic inner bags.
Metal detection: The product passes through a metal separator to ensure the absence of any remaining metal fragments.
Final packaging: The inner bags are securely tied with plastic rope and packed into 4-ply paper bags, which are then sealed with stitching for shipment.