Alland & Robert, international leader on the acacia gum market, and Biolaffort, leader in private research in oenology, have partnered to study the many properties of this 100% vegetable and natural gum widely used in the oenology sector.
Acacia gum, the best ally of wine
Today, many food companies have adopted acacia gum, also called gum arabic. In the food industry, for example, acacia gum is used to generate texture, to emulsify and stabilize and as a coating agent.
In oenology, the addition of acacia gum has been formalized since 1972 by the International Code of Oenological Practices (from the International Organization of Vine and Wine www.oiv.int) and is practiced before bottling, with several advantages:
* In the long term, the addition of acacia gum to wine limits the appearance of sediment by stabilizing the coloring matter.
* Red or white, when the wine ages, its color changes to gradually become more coppery or amber. Indeed, the polyphenols in wine initiate oxidation phenomena, which modify its color. The addition of acacia gum makes it possible to limit or even avoid this phenomenon and to preserve the color of the wine over time.
"A tripartite collaborative contract between Biolaffort, the leading private wine research group; the University of Montpellier SupAgro and Alland & Robert made it possible to demonstrate and explain the stabilizing properties acacia gum via an in-depth study1 of the phenomena involved in the stabilization mechanisms,” says Isabelle Jaouen, R&D Director at Alland & Robert. “Acacia gum also significantly improves the balance and mellowness of wines, especially those with very strong acidic or aggressive notes."
A natural and multifunctional gum well known in oenology
Acacia gum is secreted naturally on certain varieties of acacias, and collected following an incision on the trunk of wild trees located in the south of the Sahel in Africa. Beyond the naturalness specific to the product, the harvest is also 100% natural.
Its many advantages such as its resistance to acidity and heat, its low caloric intake and its high fiber content are already well known in the food industry and make it an additive of choice used in many everyday consumer products. In the wine industry, acacia gum has also been known and used for many years.
"Acacia gum is unique and has the distinction of being extremely effective at almost infinitesimal doses of use (0.5 g / liter of wine on average),” notes Virginie MOINE, Scientific Director at Biolaffort.
She adds: "Gum has been used empirically since the 1930s, but we did not know precisely the mechanisms of action on a colloidal scale that stabilize the coloring matter of wines. Hence the ambitious tripartite research contract, which unites Biolaffort and Alland & Robert at the University of Montpellier SupAgro, whose objective is to elucidate the physicochemical mechanisms behind the effectiveness of acacia gum and to highlight its properties in this very special application1”.
1 The colloidal stabilization of young red wine by Acacia senegal gum, Michaël Nigen, Rafael Apolinar Valiente, Nerea Iturmendi, Pascale Williams, Thierry Doco, Virginie Moine, Arnaud Massot, Isabelle Jaouen, Christian Sanchez - Food Hydrocolloids 97 (2019)
About Alland & Robert
Founded in 1884, Alland & Robert is a family business based in Normandy. The company is an international leader in the market of acacia gum, an all-natural additive or ingredient mainly used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. In 2019, Alland & Robert achieved a turnover of 45 million euros, of which 86% abroad in 69 countries via 37 distributors. The company has tripled its turnover in 10 years, and continues to grow on all continents. Alland & Robert has also invested heavily in production facilities to increase its capacities. The company employs 100 people at three sites in France: two factories located in the Eure, in Port-Mort and Saint-Aubin-sur-Gaillon, and its Paris site where the company's management and sales teams are based.
About BIOLAFFORT
BIOLAFFORT is the R&D subsidiary of the LAFFORT® group, a family business created in 1895 in Bordeaux. Made up of a team of around twenty scientists and researchers from various disciplines, BIOLAFFORT is involved in research programs with universities and institutes around the world, with more than 30 theses and 20 patents to his credit. A pioneer in precision oenology® thanks to this research work which has made it possible to better understand the microbiology and biochemistry of wine, LAFFORT is today a world leader in oenology, present directly in 92 countries.
