Gum Karaya — Sterculia urens, known across India as Gond Katira, Katira and — in the South — Badam Pisin or Almond Gum — is a wild-harvested natural gum with the highest water-swelling capacity of the commercial hydrocolloids. 4ACES supplies every commercial grade from No.1 slabs to superfine powder, processed at our own unit in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh.
Gum Karaya is the dried exudate of the Sterculia urens tree, tapped from wild stands across central India and the Sahelian belt. It is a partially acetylated polysaccharide that does not truly dissolve — instead it absorbs many times its weight in water and swells into a stable, cohesive gel. That single property is why it appears in denture adhesives, ostomy seals, bulk laxatives, hair-setting preparations and cold-water food gels.
In Indian trade and household use the same material is called Gond Katira or Katira, valued as a cooling agent in summer drinks and traditional preparations. Internationally it is listed as INS 416 / E416, and it is also traded as Sterculia gum, Indian tragacanth and Karaya gum.
| Grade | Trade name | Description | Typical applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | No. 1 | Largest translucent golden slabs | Premium food, pharma |
| 201 | No. 2 (Tallu) | Medium chunks, light coloured | Pharmaceuticals, laxatives |
| 301 | No. 3 | Flaky, pale cream fragments | Food, cosmetics, paper |
| 401 | No. 4 (2.5mm) | Most common commercial grade | Hair care, denture adhesives, food |
| 501 | No. 5 (1.5mm) | Finer industrial grade | Textile sizing, paper coating |
| 601 | No. 6 | Fine granules / semi-powder | Industrial adhesives |
| 701 | No. 7 | Superfine / powder | Specialty industrial |
| Property | Specification |
|---|---|
| Botanical source | Sterculia urens |
| Other names | Gond Katira, Katira, Badam Pisin, Almond Gum, Badam Gond, Karaya gum, Sterculia gum, Indian tragacanth |
| INS / E code | INS 416 · E416 |
| Origin | India (central belt) and Sahelian Africa |
| Appearance | Translucent golden to pale cream slabs, flakes, granules or powder by grade |
| Behaviour in water | Swells to a gel rather than dissolving; very high water absorption |
| Processing | Cleaned, sorted and sized at the 4ACES unit in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh |
| Packaging | 25kg / 50kg bags; full container loads on request |
Bulk-forming laxatives, denture adhesive powders, ostomy and wound-care seals — applications that rely on Karaya swelling into a stable adhesive gel in contact with moisture.
Thickener and stabiliser in ice cream, sauces and cheese spreads. In India the same crystals are soaked overnight for summer coolers, falooda and traditional sweets — sold as gond katira in the north and as badam pisin or almond gum in the south.
Hair-setting lotions and gels, thickening in creams and lotions.
Paper coating and long-fibre binding, textile printing pastes and adhesives.
Gond Katira sold in Indian retail is the same Sterculia urens gum, usually No.1 or No.2 grade picked for appearance. For industrial buyers, grade selection is driven by end use: 401 (2.5mm) is the workhorse commercial grade, the finer 501 and 601 suit sizing and adhesive work, and No.1 slabs go to premium food and pharmaceutical customers. Tell us the application and we will recommend the grade.
Yes. Badam Pisin and Almond Gum are colloquial trade names, used mainly in South India, for the same Sterculia urens gum sold elsewhere as Gum Karaya or Gond Katira. The soaked crystals used in badam pisin sarbath and falooda are Karaya.
Yes. Gond Katira, Katira and Gum Karaya all refer to the exudate of the Sterculia urens tree, listed internationally as INS 416 / E416. It is also traded as Sterculia gum or Indian tragacanth.
No, though they are often confused and Karaya is sometimes called Indian tragacanth. True tragacanth comes from Astragalus species. Karaya comes from Sterculia urens, swells rather than dissolves, and is a separate commodity with its own INS number (416 versus 413 for tragacanth).
Grade 401 (2.5mm) is the most common commercial grade and suits hair care, denture adhesives and food. No.1 and No.2 slabs go to premium food and pharmaceutical use, while 501, 601 and 701 serve sizing, coating and industrial adhesive applications.
Yes. 4ACES operates a processing unit in Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh where Karaya is cleaned, sorted and sized, which lets us supply consistent grades and control impurities.
Standard packing is 25kg or 50kg bags, with full container loads available. Send your grade, quantity and destination through the enquiry form for a quotation.
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