Tamarind gum as a wall material in the microencapsulation of drugs and natural products

Abstract

Tamarind gum is a biopolymer obtained from the seeds of the tamarind tree (Tamarindus indica L.). The tamarind tree is an evergreen tree distributed widely in Africa, Asia and Latin America, mainly in countries such as island of Madagascar, India and Mexico. This chapter discusses the components of tamarind tree, as well as the tamarind pulp and seed. Subsequently, the main technologies used to extract the gum from tamarind seeds are described. Also, the gum valorization from a vision of the nature of the extraction process is analyzed with the chemical, physicochemical and structural characterization techniques. On this chapter, a full discussion of the functional properties and the formulation of colloidal systems employing tamarind gum are included to show its functionality. Finally, the end of the chapter describes the role that tamarind gum has played as a wall material in industrial applications.