Gum arabic, or gum acacia, is an edible carbohydrate with a small amount of glycoprotein by weight that is obtained from the acacia Senegal tree. It is commonly used for emulsification and stabilization in foods because of its properties of complete water solubility, lack of taste or odor, and low viscosity. Although generally considered nontoxic, there have been reports of allergic responses in the occupational setting. Specifically, workers in a candy factory were found to have occupational asthma, contact urticaria, and eczema after exposure to gum arabic, and a pharmaceutical industry worker was found to have an IgE-mediated response to gum arabic after experiencing work-related rhinitis and dyspnea.
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