427 pages, 192 colour & 38 b/w illustrations
This is the most extensive collection of plant gum exudates in print, containing information on both well-established exudates and newer ones. It not only introduces an array of exudates never before described or reviewed, but also classifies gums according to their botanical taxonomy. This readily accessible book also supplies color plates of exudates in their natural environment along with relevant botanical parts. Each entry includes: botanical name; common and vernacular gum names; geographical distribution information; appearance and color descriptions; water solubility information; chemical characteristics; structural features; physical and physicochemical properties; commercial availability; industrial and food applications; and, synonyms of and uses for the producing tree or shrub.
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, Volume 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
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