Abstract:
Sample of authentic Acacia gerarrdii var. gerarrdii were collected from south
kordufan state of Sudan during the season of 2010. The physiochemical properties
of Acacia gerarrdii var. gerarrdii gum were studied. Parameters such as solubility
moisture content, ash content, pH value, specific optical rotation, intrinsic
viscosity, nitrogen and protein content, acid equivalent weight and total uornic acid
were determined. The results show that : solubility is 20% , moisture content 7.62
%, ash content 1.8%, pH value 5.32 , specific optical rotation +60 intrinsic
viscosity 15.1 cm3/ g , nitrogen content 1.88%, protein 13.16%, acid equivalent
weight 2000 and total uronic acid 9.7%.
Acid hydrolysis of Acacia gerarrdii var gerarrdii followed by HPLC
measurements revealed that sugar content was : Arabinose 39.3%, Galactose 5.5%
and Rhmnose less than 1%.
Mineral composition of sample were studied using flame photometer and atomic
absorption spectroscopy (AAS) techniques. The results showed that calcium has
the highest value (70 mg/L), followed by potassium (5.3 mg/L), sodium (4.9
mg/L), magnesium (2.9 mg/L) and less than 1 mg/L for Zn, Cd, Pb and Cu.
The average number molecular weight of the sample was estimated using osmotic
pressure measurements and found to be 1.1× 105 Daltons.
