Useful Properties of Guar Gum

Guar gum (Galactomannan) is a high molecular weight carbohydrate which is derived from endosperm of legume crop, guar. Guar or Cyamopsis tetragonolobus plant is an annual crop that grows well in conditions like sandy soil, moderate and arid climate. For this reason guar is widely grown in countries like India, Pakistan and United States.  There is well-laid procedure to process guar gum powder from the seeds of guar plant in controlled production units. Guar gum is used in different forms - as guar seed, un-dehusked split, refined split, pulverized powder, guar meal and guar protein.

Guar gum forms hexose sugar, mannose and galactose bi-products which rapidly dissolve in water. It is because of this ability that guar gum powder is used in several applications to attain uniform and very high viscosity at relatively low concentrations when compared with other hydrocolloids.

Guar gum has excellent thickening and stabilizing properties and as such is used in wide range of foods, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical preparations. It is preferred over other hydrocolloids for textile sizing and finishing applications because of its thickening properties.

Guar gum can produce full viscosity even in cold water. Therefore as a viscosity control agent, it is widely used in low calorie beverages, gel creation, glazing & moisture retention to produce the highest grade confectionary. It is used in processing and canning of pet foods and meat as it has the capability to increase the viscosity which reduces the splashing during the process and therefore speeds it up.

The water binding properties of guar gum make it a useful additive for products like sauces and salad dressings where water content is to be reduced. Guar gum or guarkernmehl as binding agent is used in ice creams, it enhances texture, mouth feel, and controls crystal formation due to superior water-binding properties.

It has excellent compatibility with other hydrocolloids like Xanthan Gum and therefore is used in manufacturing customized derivatives which can be used for dispersion, viscosity control, gelling and preservation applications in various industries.

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.