Plant Gum Exudates of the World

Dr. Amos Nussinovitch works in the Biochemistry and Food Science Department on the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he leads a large group of researchers working on theoretical and practical aspects of hydrocolloids, including coating of cells and foods, special glues and exudates patches, water-soluble polymer uses in paper, exudates preparations in cosmetics and medicine, hydrocolloid uses in explosives, ink, and special cellular solids and biological carriers.

• Role and Sources of Exudate Gums. Physiological Aspects of Polysaccharide Formation in Plants. Major Plant Exudates of the World. Minor Plant Exudates of the World. Food Applications of Plant Exudates. Gum Exudates in Water-Based Adhesives. Medical, Cosmetic and Biotechnological Uses of Gum Exudates. Analysis and Identification of Gum Exudates. Miscellaneous Uses of Plant Exudates.

"The catalogue begins with the widely used gum arabic, from the genus Acacia (Fabaceae) and gum tragacanth from Astragalus (Fabaceae) and Sterculia (Malvaceae), but later changes to ordering by region - Asiatic, New World and miscellaneous. Taxa are described in terms of, for example, their distribution in the world, the charactenstIcs of the plant and the exudate, and its commercial uses and economic importance. There are many photographs of plants and gums, mostly of high quality, and some reproduced fine drawings of plants."—G. R. Squire, in The Journal of Experimental Agriculture, Vol. 46/4, 2010"This book will surely become the definitive reference for the vast array of gums and resins of diverse origin which have been known from historical times and have continued to emerge over the years. The exudate-bearing trees are distributed all over the world, in different climates and continents. The various names by which they are known and the different classification systems adopted have presented a major problem to the student and researcher. Now we have a uniform classification system based on botanical taxonomy which have been checked and standardised to accord with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Germoplasm Resource Information Network. It is a massive step forward for which countless researchers will thank the author."—Glyn O. Phillips, Phillips Hydrocolloids Research Ltd, in Food Hydrocolloids, 2011"The author reached his goal: this book is definitely the most complete work on the subject."—Esther Katz, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement Brasilia, in Economic Botany, Vol. 65, 2011