By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Yobe has planted 100,000 hectares of Gum Arabic trees in each of the state’s three senatorial districts.
The Director, Planning, Research and Statistics at the state’s Ministry of Environment, Alhaji Hassan Musa, said in Damaturu on Wednesday that the action aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change.
Gum Arabic is used in the food industry as a stabiliser, emulsifier, and thickening agent in icing, fillings, soft candy, and chewing gum.
It is also used in other confectionery, and to bind sweeteners and flavourings in soft drinks.
Science Direct, a Peer Review journal, published an article in 2018 in which it stated that Gum Arabic has several therapeutic actions, such as being able to lower blood sugar levels; an antioxidant, and an antiulcer.
Authored by AbdulKareem Ahmed, the article states that local communities had been using Gum Arabic to protect against hepatic, renal, and cardiac complications in diabetic and chronic renal failure patients, the News Agency reports.
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