Gums and Stabilisers for the Food Industry is a biennial conference (see the official website) held in Wrexham, North Wales, since 1981, on the application of hydrocolloids (polysaccharides and proteins) in the food industry.
The intention of the conference series is to provide a forum for the free exchange of ideas between academia and industry and to promote the use and understanding of hydrocolloids in foods.
Because hydrocolloids are sourced and used in all of the continents except Antarctica, and many types (such as resins, seed gums, and certain alginates) are obtained from specific countries or climate zones, the conference attracts an international attendance from Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, Africa and the Middle East.
The first conference series was held at Glyndŵr University in Wrexham in 1981, chaired by Professor Glyn O Phillips (also of Glyndŵr University), and all subsequent conferences have taken place at the same location and with the same chairman.
Until 2008, Glyndŵr University was known as the North-East Wales Institute of Higher Education (NEWI).