The gums include a group of rather complex carbohydrates which are
intermediate between starches and sugars. From plants are derived many
varieties of gums which have various commercial uses in the market, such
as gum arabic.
I have already spoken of the formation of dextrin from starch. Dextrin
has no particular dietetic qualities that do not exist in starch. It
is, in fact, starch arrested at an intermediate point of digestion.
[Sidenote: Pectins in fruits]
Pectins are a group of gummy substances found in fruits, especially
green fruits which are in the process of being formed into sugar.
These pectins form the basis of fruit jellies. Green grapes, as every
housewife knows, will make better jelly than ripe grapes. This is
because the pectins in ripe grapes have been transformed into sugar. The
pectins in fruit are in most cases wholesome enough, though it would
seem the better part of wisdom to eat all fruits in the ripened state,
after Nature has completed her work.