INS 414 is gum arabic, also called acacia gum, numbered E414 in Europe. It is the dried sap that seeps from the bark of certain acacia trees, mainly Acacia senegal and Acacia seyal, which grow across the Sahel belt of Africa; Sudan is a leading producer. The hardened lumps are collected by hand, cleaned and usually dissolved and spray-dried into a powder. Codex lists it as a bulking agent, carrier, emulsifier, glazing agent, stabilizer and thickener.
Unlike most gums it dissolves easily without becoming very thick, and it is good at holding oil droplets and flavours. That makes it a widely used carrier for flavour powders: it locks aromas into tiny particles that can be blended into chip seasonings, as on Pringles Larb Flavour and many Lay’s flavours.
In sugar-shelled sweets like M&M’s Peanut, gum arabic is commonly used to help the coating layers bind into a firm shell.
