Guar Gum as a Food Additive

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12/3/2013

Guar gum is a fiber extracted from the seeds of guar plant. It is an important product for several industrial applications including textile cosmetics, paper, oil, petrochemicals etc. However it’s most important application lies in food industry. Because of its valuable physical and chemical structure, guar gum exhibits some valuable properties which are of great use in food applications. Guar gum or the popular Gomme de gaur as called in French has excellent water solubility and shows stability across various pH levels. Therefore it is added in several food products as a thickening, stabilizing, emulsifying and binding agent. There are several ways guar gum can be used in food. Some of the applications of guar gum as food additive are implied below

Guar Gum as Additive in Baked Products and Gluten-Free Recipes

Guar gum or guarkernmehl is used as an additive in several baked food products. It is used to replace flour in the baked products and therefore is an important ingredient for the preparation of gluten-free recipes that are better to digest. When used as additive in baked products, guar gum has tendency to improve the softness and fluffiness of the product. Guar gum absorbs water in the food and makes the mixing of the batter very easy. Therefore by using guar gum as additive in baked products, life of the food product can be enhanced while reducing it’s time of preparation.

Guar Gum in Desserts and Frozen Foods

The stabilizing property of guar gum makes it a valuable additive in preparation of desserts and frozen foods especially the ice creams. Guar gum prevents the frozen foods from melting and therefore added in frozen desserts. By adding guar gum ice crystals are not formed and a smooth texture is imparted to the ice creams making them feel soft and easily to melt when eaten.

Guar Gum in Soups , Sauces

Guar gum is added in soups and sauces as a water binder and thickening agent. When added in soups and sauces, guar gum absorbs the excess water present in them and therefore makes these food products thicker. Guar gum additives enhance the shelf life of the sauces and soups prepared.

Guar Gum Additive For Low Calorie Foods

If you are looking for weight loss and low calorie food is what you eat most of the time, you must be aware of the guar gum additives available in the market today. Guar gum is added in several low calorie foods to give them the mouth-feel of oils without the presence of fat in them. Guar gum as food additive can be an important ingredient for preparation of low calorie cake icings, cheeses, bakery products, salad dressings, sour cream, frozen desserts, condiments and sausages.

Conclusion

Therefore guar gum as food additive has several invaluable applications. It is a valuable ingredient in preparation of several cuisines or recipes. This article educates reader about the invaluable applications of guar gum as a food additive. This article has been written by Biren Patel working at Agro Gums. Agro Gums is a guar and cassia gum manufacturing company offering high quality guar gum powder, fast hydration guar gum powder, cassia powder, guar splits and guar meal to satisfy the production requirements of various industries across the world.