Glycerides of rosin, commonly known as ester gums, are a versatile resin used in adhesives, coatings, inks, and other markets. Their unique functionality has led to specialized food applications in beverages and chewing gum.

An interesting example is the use of glycerides of wood rosin (GEWR) as a beverage weighting agent (BWA) for citrus flavored beverages. The app ester of rosin was created through a long-term collaborative approach with beverage customers and regulators. Food applications require rigorous testing to demonstrate safety and compliance with all global standards. The safety of GEWR was initially established through rigorous toxicology testing and further proven through fifty years of use in beverage production around the world. Active support for the regulatory process demonstrates a continued commitment to product safety, which global consumers expect from all food additive manufacturers.

Scientific opinions published by EFSA in 2010 and 2018 reiterated that a valid safety assessment of rosin glycerides in food applications should take into account species-specific differences and requires appropriate compositional and toxicological data. The original GEWR, derived from longleaf pine and slash pine, was approved on the basis of testing to ensure the safety of food additives.

Beverage Weighting Technology

Many citrus-flavored beverages, such as carbonated soft drinks and sports drinks, are emulsions of flavored oils in water. These beverages are technically challenging, requiring the production of emulsions that are stable in the form of concentrates, syrups and diluted beverages under a range of storage and handling conditions. Beverage instability can cause oil droplets to migrate to the surface of the liquid, adversely affecting taste and appearance. Emulsion stability requires emulsifiers and BWA, BWA is used to increase the density of the dispersed flavor oil phase, thereby reducing the density difference between the oil phase and the water phase, and enhancing stability.

Rosin Glycerides are the best known and most commonly used weighting agents in the beverage industry. There are two different types on the market: GEWR and Glycerides of Rosin (GEGR). GEWR was identified in the 1960s as an ideal candidate for BWA. This versatile resin is based on natural, renewable raw materials and has excellent solubility in essential oils. An extensive application development and product safety testing process has made GEWR the leading beverage weighting agent on the market. GEGR follows in the footsteps of GEWR in an attempt to achieve the same broad market acceptance.