Badam Pisin and Almond Gum are the South Indian trade names for Gum Karaya — the exudate of Sterculia urens, sold in the north as Gond Katira. Same gum, same grades, different regional vocabulary. 4ACES supplies every commercial grade in bulk, cleaned and sorted at our own unit in Ratlam.
If you buy badam pisin crystals in Chennai, gond katira in Delhi and gum karaya on an export contract, you are buying the same commodity. The name changes with the region and the trade; the material is the gum of the Sterculia urens tree, tapped from wild stands, dried into translucent amber tears and graded by size and colour.
The confusion comes from the word badam — almond. The crystals resemble almond gum and are sold under that name in South Indian shops and sarbath stalls, but the commercial supply is Karaya. Internationally it is listed as INS 416 / E416, and it is also traded as Sterculia gum or Indian tragacanth.
Karaya does not dissolve in water. It absorbs many times its own weight and swells into a soft, clear, neutral-tasting gel, which is exactly the property the badam pisin trade depends on: a few grams of crystals soaked for four to eight hours yield enough jelly for a batch of drinks. The same swelling behaviour makes it valuable in denture adhesives, bulk laxatives, hair-setting preparations and cold-water food gels.
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Botanical source | Sterculia urens |
| Trade names | Badam Pisin, Almond Gum, Badam Gond, Gond Katira, Katira, Gum Karaya |
| INS / E code | INS 416 · E416 |
| Appearance | Translucent golden to pale cream tears, flakes or granules by grade |
| Behaviour in water | Swells over 4–8 hours into a clear, soft, neutral-tasting gel |
| Grades | No.1 slabs through No.7 superfine powder |
| Processing | Cleaned, sorted and sized in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh |
| Packaging | 25kg / 50kg bags, bulk sacks, or retail-ready packs |
We supply beverage manufacturers, sweet houses, ayurvedic formulators and repackers, in bulk sacks or retail-ready packs. Quality in this trade varies mostly by how much bark and dust is left in the crystals — that is what our cleaning and sorting removes. For retail packing, the No.1 and No.2 grades give the clear golden tears customers expect. Send your volume and packing requirement for a quotation.
Yes. Badam Pisin and Almond Gum are colloquial trade names, used mainly in South India, for Gum Karaya - the gum of the Sterculia urens tree, sold in the north as Gond Katira. The material and the grades are identical.
Despite the name, the commercial product is Sterculia urens gum, not an almond product. The crystals resemble almond gum and picked up the name badam, but the supply chain is Karaya.
The crystals are soaked in water for roughly four to eight hours until they swell into a soft clear jelly, which is then added to sarbath, rose milk, falooda, ice cream and traditional desserts.
The No.1 and No.2 grades give the large clear golden tears that retail customers expect. Finer grades are better suited to industrial and pharmaceutical use.
Yes, in 25kg or 50kg bags, bulk sacks, or retail-ready packs. Send your quantity and packing requirement through the enquiry form.
Tell us the grade, quantity and destination port. We reply with pricing, current availability, COA and MSDS. Bulk enquiries and container loads welcome.
Or email info@4aces.co · WhatsApp +91 70457 09794