Conservation, Management and Utilisation of Plant Gums, Resins
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CONSERVATION, MANAGEMENT AND UTILISATlONUTILISATION OFOF PLANT GUMS, RESINSSINS ANDAND ESSENTIALESSENTIAL OILS.OILS. Proceedings of a regional conference for Africa held in Nairobi, Kenya AIDGUMAIDGU 9~ CONSERVATION, MANAGEMENT ANIAND UTILIS1UTILISATION rThJN OFOF PLANTPLANT GUMS,_715MS, RESINS RESINS AND AND ESSENTIAL ESSENTIAL OILS. Proceedings ofof aa regionalregional confei-enceconference forfor Africa held in Nairobi, Kenya::enya 6-10 OctoberOctober I9971997 edited by J. O.o. Mugah, B. N. Chikamai,Chikamai, S.S. S.S. MbiruMbiru andand E.E. Casadei 11 Foreword The Regional Conference for Africa on Conservation,Conservation, Management andand Utilisation ofof Plant Gums and Resins, hostedhosted by Kenya ForestryForestry ResearchResearch InstituteInstitute (KEFRI),(KEFRI), waswas heldheld in Nairobi, Kenya fromfrom 66 toto 1010 OctoberOctober 1997.1997. Coordinated byby KEFRI,KEFRI, aa numbernumber ofof international international andand bilateralbilateral agencies,agencies, namely:namely: Association for International Development of Natural Gums (Aidgum), FAO, Promotion of Sustainable Forestry Management -- (GTZIKEFRIlFD)(GTZ/KEFRI/FD) andand Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) collaborated byby providingproviding funds,funds, sponsoring participants and/orand/or by direct attendance. The outcome of the ConferenceConference was substantial, with clearclear recommendationsrecommendations for action.action. We have pleasure in sharing it with all interested persons and institutions. WeWe taketake thisthis opportunity to acknowledge withwith thanksthanks the contribution of all thosethose whowho attendedattended thethe Conference and their active participation in the discussions, which made this meetingmeeting aa remarkable success. WeWe thankthank allall thosethose whowho collaboratedcollaborated with,with, andand supportedsupported thethe effortsefforts of KEFRI in organising thisthis Conference.Conference. We are gratefulgrateful to allall thethe membersmembers ofof thethe secretariat for their devoted service. Finally, we fully appreciate the contribution of J.O.lO. Mugah, B.N. Chikamai,Chikamai, S.S. S.S. Mbiru, E.E. CasadeiCasadei forfor reviewing andand editingediting thethe ConferenceConference report. No doubt,doubt, thethe perspectivesperspectives onon conservation,conservation, managementmanagement and utilisationutilisation ofof plantplant gumsgums and resins as theythey emergedemerged from the discussionsdiscussions at the ConferenceConference and the lightlight theythey threw on howhow toto addressaddress aspectsaspects of productionproduction and qualityquality control and the needneed forfor linkages will helphelp nationalnational andand internationalinternational agenciesagencies inin desig,ningdesigning andand implementingimplementing viable programmes. FFAO AO is committed to pursue the outcome of thethe ConferenceConference andand toto support the implementationimplementation of itsits recommendations,recommendations, inin collaborationcollaboration withwith partnerpartner agencies andand countries.countries. Karl-Hermann Schmincke Director Forest Products Division Forestry Department, FAO iii111 FOREWORD FOREWORD II PART I:I: BACKGROUNDBACKGROUND TO TO THE THE CONFERENCECONFERENCE AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 1 1.1 Overview 2 1.2 The need for a regional conferenceconference 2 1.3 Outcome/RecommendationsOutcomelRecommendations ofof the Conference 3 1.3.1 Gum Arabic 3 1.3.2 Resins: Myrrh and FrankincenseFrankincense 7 PART II: CONFERENCECONFERENCE PAPERS PAPERS 9 CONSERVATION AND MANGEMENT Management and OrganisationOrganisation ofof Gum Gum Arabic Industry in SudanSudan 10 Abdel Nour / M. E. Osman Production and Markets of Gum Gum ArabicArabic from French Speaking West African CountriesCountries 15 D. Muller / I.I. Wata Recent Advances on Classification andand Status of the Main Gum- Resin Producing Species in the Family Burseraceae 18 F. N. Gachathi Plant Gums, Resins and Essential OilOil Resources in Africa: Potentials for Domestication 23 D. Ladipo Indigenous Knowledge and itsits ApplicationApplication in Resolving Conservation and Utilisation Problems 33 E. Barrow Indigenous Knowledge and Utilisation Potentials of Selected Gum, Resin and Oil Plant Species of Tanzania 38 F. Makonda / R. Ishengoma Some Experience on Adaptive ResearchResearch Input on Natural Resource Use: The Case of Gums and Resins in Mukogodo Rangelands,Rangelands, Laikipia District, Kenya 45 R. Ngethe / A. KariukiKariuki / C. Opondo Experiences in Benzoin Resin ProductionProduction in Sumatra, Indonesia 56 E. Katz / M. Goloubinoff / M. R. PerezPerez // G.G. Michon iv QUALITY AND REGULATORY ASPECTS Production, Markets and Quality Control of Gum Arabic in Africa: Findings and Recommendations from an FAO Project 67 B. Chikamai The Chemical Characterisation of Myrrh and Frankincense and Opportunities for Commercial Utilisation 75 A. KaramaUahKaramallah Preliminary Report on Essential Oils from Frankincense, Myrrh and other Plants of Ethiopia 79 E. Dagne International Regulations for Natural Products used as Food Additives 85 E. Casadei Gum Arabic - Life in a Saturated Market 95 I. Holmes Chemotaxonomic Aspects of Gum Exudates from some AcaciaAcacia SpeciesSpecies 97 G. Mhinzi NETWORKS AND LINKAGES FAO's Global Programme on the Development of Non-Wood Forest Products (NWFP's) 102 P. Vantomme The Role of IIGAD GAD in Promoting Collaboration Networks among Member Countries 107 R. Kigame Role of Networks in Advancing Natural Products Research in Africa: The Example Of NAPRECA 111 E. Dagne GARA and itsits InitiativesInitiatives in the DevelopmentDevelopment ofof PlantPlant GumsGums andand ResinsResins in Kenya 116 A. Hassan / V. Odipo PART III:III: LISTLIST OFOF PARTICIPANTSPARTICIPANTS 118 PART I:I: BACKGROUNDBACKGROLND TOTG THE THE CONFERENCE COI TERErCE ANDD RECOMMENDATIONS. 2 1.1 Overview The role and value of plant gumsgums and resinsresins inin AfricaAfrica cannotcannot bebe over-emphasised.over-emphasised. The resources areare found in hot and dry regions, where they are valuable in various ways. In countries borderingbordering the Sahara, thethe plants have proved useful as windbreaks and shelter belts againstagainst desert encroachmentencroachment and hence desertification. Their canopies intercept rain drops while the rootroot systemssystems areare effectiveeffective inin reducingreducing soilsoil erosion,erosion, therebythereby stabilisingstabilising soils. SpeciesSpecies inin thethe genusgenus AcaciaAcacia improveimprove soilssoils due to their ability to fix nitrogen. The foliage and pods are valuable dry season fodder while the stemstern has widewide applicationapplication inin fencing, wood energyenergy andand construction.construction. The environmentalenvironmental benefitsbenefits ofof these plantplant resources in the region are therefore significant. However, the most valued commodities in economic terms are the gums and resins. The most important of these are gum arabic, myrrh and frankincense. Gum arabic is a product of AcaciaAcacia senegal,senegal, A.A. seyalseyal andand closelyclosely relatedrelated species.species. Virtually all the gum arabicarabic ofof commerce comescomes fromfrom AfricaAfrica with with SudanSudan accountingaccounting for for up up toto 80% of thethe worldworld production followedfollowed byby ChadChad andand Nigeria.Nigeria. About 12 otherother countriescountries in thethe Sahel,Sahel, stretching fromfrom SenegallMauritaniaSenegal/Mauritania inin WestWest AfricaAfrica toto SomaliaSomalia inin thethe HomHorn of Africa and southwards toto Tanzania areare alsoalso producers.producers. GumGum arabic has wide application in the food and pharmaceutical industries andand in miscellaneousmiscellaneous technical applications. InIn the foodfood industry (foods(foods and drinks),drinks), itit is usedused asas aa thickening, thickening, stabilising,stabilising, emulsifyingemulsifying and suspending agent.agent. InIn thethe pharmaceuticalpharmaceutical industry, it is used as a binding agent in tablets and as a suspending and emulsifying agentagent inin creamscreams andand lotions.lotions. SomeSome ofof the the technicaltechnical applications are in the printing and textile industries where advantage is taken ofof its its film-film formingfouning and sizingsizing properties respectively. Myrrh is produced by speciesspecies in the genusgenus Commiphora.Commiphora. The mainmain sourcesource ofof true true myrrhmyrrh is C. myrrah found in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya. Myrrh,Myrrh, likelike resinresin isis alsoalso producedproduced by CommiphoraCommiphora habessinica,habessinica, C.C. confusa,confusa, C.C. africana and C.C. incisa.incisa. Additionally, Commiphora holtizianaholtiziana and C. pseudopseudopaolipaoli produce resins commercially referredreferred toto as opoponax ,, whichwhich are used as ticktick repellent.repellent. FrankincenseFrankincense on thethe otherother hand is producedproduced by speciesspecies in thethe genusgenus Boswellia.Boswellia. The mainmain sourcesource ofof frankincensefrankincense from AfricaAfrica is B.B. papyrifera foundfound inin Ethiopia,Ethiopia, SudanSudan andand Somalia.Somalia. BoswelliaBoswellia neglecta fromfrom EastEast andand thethe HomHorn ofof AfricaAfrica alsoalso produceproduce commercialcommercial incense.incense. The main uses ofof myrrhmyrrh andand frankincense are as sources of fragrances and pharmaceuticals. 1.2 The need for a regional conference Over the years,years, and particularly inin thethe recentrecent past,past, therethere hashas beenbeen a decline in