Sudan’s Acacia Senegal trees are the source of around 70% of the world’s supply of gum arabic, a key ingredient in everything from fizzy drinks and sweets to cosmetics and pharmaceutical products for which there are few substitutes.
The golden beads of sap from the tree branches are processed to then act as emulsifiers and stabilizers in fizzy drinks. Without it, all the sugar in sodas would fall to the bottom of the bottle and crystalize. Gum arabic, or gum acacia, is also used in baked goods, plant-based foods, health supplements, printing inks and more.
Since Sudan’s civil war erupted across the country in mid-April, the supply of the sought-after product has been threatened. And although there are gum arabic replacements to be found for products like cosmetics and printing inks, there is no alternative for fizzy drinks.
"Most of the gum manufacturers and distributors in Europe and other countries, including Morouj UK, have stock of gum acacia that will last for a few months," Osama Idris, a general manager at Marouj Commodities, a gum arabic supplier based in the UK, told Al-Monitor. “The concern is if this war continues, the supply chain of gum acacia will be severely affected.”
