I wanted to make Mexican paste for some new patchwork cutters I got. It calls for 3 tsp of gum tragacanth. All I had was Wilton gum tex so I used it. The paste is sitting up overnight. I read that Mexican paste is very white, but the gum tex was brownish and made the paste a beige color. It also smells vile, like strong chemicals!

AWilton gum tex is NASTY. Look for tylose powder online. It makes fantastic gumpaste. I have used both for kneading into fondant for a quick gumpaste, amd also from scratch gumpaste, (google search Nicholas Lodge gumpaste recipe), which is my favorite to use. I can roll it absolutely see-through thin!

Thanks, Sarahgale.

I agree it's nasty, but I would use it to make things that probably won't get eaten. I was trying to make Mexican paste which is different from gumpaste. The makers of patchwork cutters highly recommend it over gumpaste or fondant. I have Tylose, but I don't think it's the same product as gum tragacanth.

Would someone who has used gum trag or who knows whether it's different from Gum Tex please weigh in?

Again, Sarahgale, thank you for taking the time to answer!!

ATalked to my husband, a chemist: Gum tex, gum tragacanth, tylose powder, CMC powder, and gum arabic are all food grade gum agents that can be used interchangably to thicken things and create emulsifications. You should be fine with the gum tex, bar the beige color and nasty taste. If you can get any of the other gums more easily and desire a flavorless and pure white paste.

Great! Thank you so much! Think I'll toss this foul-smelling beige mess and get out the Tylose!