Exploring the Potential of Moi Gum for Diverse Applications: A Review

Large number of plants exudate complex polysaccharides as a consequence of mechanical/micro-biological injury. Exudates of gums are always in high demand for usage as food additives, emulsifiers and other applications and in pharmaceutical field as they are non-toxic, economically viable, readily available and are safe enough for human consumption. Many species of exudate gums have been reported to have therapeutic application and Moi gum is one of them. Moi gum is classified as Arabino-galactan, similar to Gum Arabic, is an unexplored minor gum. Different aerial portions of the plants are used in varied ways in medicinal field. The plant is reported to contain gums and mucilages which yields Arabino-3, 6-galactan on hydrolysis. It contains l-rhamnose with 2.5%, l-arabinose with 11%, 4-O-methyl uronic acids with 17% and d-galactose being the major portion with 69.5%. The gum also yields 1.38% of Proteins. Since this gum is similar to Gum Arabic and is not yet extensively used, it remained unexplored in the field of agriculture and in industries such as textiles, paper, cosmetics, drug delivery, confectionaries and pharmaceuticals. This article would serve as reference to researchers who are involved in biopolymer studies leading to commercialization of Moi gum in various applications.