Guar Gum

 

History of Guar Gum

 

Guar gum comes from guar seeds, which are husked and processed in order to obtain the guar gum. The majority of guar seeds are grown in India and Pakistan but can also be found in smaller amounts in the United States, China, Australia and Africa. The guar plant is resistant to drought and has the ability to grow in dry climates where plant life is difficult to grow.

 

Once upon a time, ‘Guar’ was used as a protein rich cattle feed. In India, the tender green Guar is also used as a vegetable and cattle feed. A severe locust bean gum shortage, just after the second world war, adversely affected the paper and textile industries. Guar Gum was found to be the most suitable substitute for scarce locust bean gum. The technology of Guar Gum extraction was commercialized in 1953 in the USA and after approximately a decade in India.

 

Benefits

 

Guar gum is used in a variety of industries because it has many beneficial qualities. In food items it acts as an emulsifier or stabilizer allowing baked goods to last longer on the shelf and helping nutritional supplements and other products to merge oil-based and water-based ingredients to decrease separation. Guar gum has a high viscosity and can also improve the mouth feel of food-grade products. Guar gum can also remain uniform in various temperatures including in both cold and hot water.

 

Considerations

 

As many benefits as guar gum has for many industries, including paper, health care and food, it also can cause severe reactions to some who consume products that contain guar gum. Guar gum is highly absorbent and so it can create the feeling of being full in those who eat it. With this reaction can come extreme intestinal discomfort and, in the most severe cases, blockages that can be very dangerous. At one time guar gum was used for weight loss, but because of these side effects is no longer approved for that use.

 

Types

 

Guar gum is typically found in the form of a white powder. However, due to the processing the guar seeds undergo, it can also be found as guar meal, milled guar and guar protein.

 

Features

 

Guar gum can be purchased in different levels of viscosity depending on how thick you want your finished product to be. For example, you would purchase a more viscous guar gum for use in a milkshake than you would for a muffin recipe. Guar gum is effective with or without heat, which is a unique quality for a powdered ingredient.

 

The guar plant ‘Cyamopsis Tetragonalobus’ is an annual plant. The legume is an important source of nutrition to animals and humans, it regenerates soil nitrogen and the endosperm of guar seed is an important hydrocolloid widely used across a broad spectrum of industries.

 

Guar requires reasonably warm weather and a growing season of 14 to 16 weeks. It needs moderate intermittent rainfall with plenty of sunshine. Too much precipitation can cause the plant to become more ‘leafy’, thereby reducing the number of pods and/or the number of seeds per pod which affects the size and yield of seeds The crop is generally sown after the monsoon rainfall in the second half of July to early August and is harvested in late October early November. The Guar is a naturally rain fed crop and the total size of Guar crop varies from year to year depending on the monsoon rainfall.

 

Guar Gum Powder Standards are:

HS-Code- 130 232 30

CAS No.- 9000-30-0

EEC No.- E 412

BT No.- 1302 3290

EINECS No. – 232-536-8

 

Industrial Applications of Guar Gum

 

Guar gum and its derivatives are widely used in various industries as per its needs. It is  used  in  industries  such  as  food,  textile,  pharmaceuticals,  personal  care,  health care, nutrition, cosmetics, paper, explosives, mining and oil well drilling.  Guar gum mainly  functions  as  a  thickener,  emulsifier,  stabilizer,  binding  agent,  gelling  agent, natural fiber, flocculant, fracturing agent etc. in the above-mentioned industries

 

Industrial grade Guar Gum

 

  • In industrial applications, guar gum powder/derivatives utilized as thickening agent, sizing agent, wet-end strength additive, gelling agent and water barrier, flocculation aid for waste water treatment, as emulsifier, binder. Also used for mud formulations, enhanced oil recovery, polymer flooding, well treatment, lost circulation plugging etc.
  • Guar  gum  industrial  grade  powder  is  used  in  industries  such  as  textile  printing  & sizing,  fire fighting,  ceramics,  pharmaceuticals,  printing  inks,  mosquito  mats.
  • Synthetic  resins,  paper  industry,  battery  electrolytes,  water  treatment,  floatation agent, water paint, carpet printing, oil well drilling, explosives, mining etc.

 

Paper Industry

 

Guar gum provides better properties compared to substitutes.

  • It gives denser surface to the paper used for printing.
  • Guar  gum  imparts  improved  erasive  and  writing  properties,  better  bonding strength and increased hardness.
  • Due to improved adhesion, it gives better breaking, mullen and folding strengths.

 

Textile Industry

 

Guar gum gives excellent film forming and thickening properties when used for textile sizing, finishing and printing.

It reduces warp breakage, reduces dusting while sizing and gives better efficiency in production.

 

Oil Industry

 

Industrial grade guar gum powder/derivatives are use in oil well fracturing, oil well stimulation, mud drilling  and  industrial  applications  and  preparations  as  a stabilizer, thickener and suspending agent.

  • It is a natural, fast hydrating dispersible guar gum and is diesel slurriable.
  • In the oil field industry, guar gum is used as a surfactant, synthetic polymer and deformer ideally suited for all rheological requirements of water-based and brine-based drilling fluids.
  • High  viscosity  guar  gum  products  are  used  as  drilling  aids  in  oil  well  drilling, geological drilling and water drilling.
  • These products are used as viscosifiers to maintain drilling mud viscosities that enable drilling fluids to remove drill waste from deep holes.
  • Guar  gum  products  also  reduce  friction  in  the  holes,  and  so  minimizing  power requirements.  Some  guar  gum  derivatives  act  to  minimize  water  loss  should occur in broken geological formations.

 

Metallurgical and mining industry

 

Guar gum is widely used as a flocculants to produce liquid solid separation.

  • Guar gum is also used in flotation. It acts as a depressant for talc or insoluble gangue mined along with the valuable minerals.

 

Explosive Industry

 

  • Gelling agent for gel sausage type explosives and pump able slurry explosives.
  • Water blocking agent in nitro-glycerine, slurry explosives, ammonium nitrate and dynamite explosives by mixing guar  gum  in  ammonium  nitrate,  nitro-glycerine and oil explosives, even in wet conditions, explosive property is maintained. This is due to the better swelling, water blocking and gelling properties of guar gum.

 

 

Application of Food Grade Guar Gum

 

Food Industry

 

In  food  Industry  guar  gum  /  derivatives  is  used  as  gelling,  viscosifying,  thickening, clouding  and  binding  agent  as  well  as  used  for  stabilization,  emulsification, preservation, water retention, enhancement of water soluble fiber content etc. Guar Gum is preferred for its relatively  low  cost and  the body  it  contributes to  the  product.  It  hydrates  well  in  cold water, and often used in combination with carrageenan and locust bean gum to impart excellent properties to ice cream. Some food products in which guar gum powder is used are:

Ice cream, soft drinks & concentrates, puddings

 

  • Chocolate milk, flavored milk
  • Pet Foods
  • Bread, biscuit and other baked foods
  • Ham and sausages
  • Soft cheese and cheese spreads
  • Canned or retorted food of fish and meat
  • Myonnaise, ketchup, sauce and dressings
  • Noodles and pasta

 

  • In  frozen  food  products-  guar  gum  reduces  crystal  formation;  act  as  a  binder  & stabilizer to extend shelf life of ice cream.
  • In baked food products- guar gum provides unparallel moisture preservation to the dough and retards fat penetration in baked foods.
  • In dairy products- guar gum improves texture, maintains uniform viscosity and color.
  • In sauces & salad preparations- guar gum acts as a water binder in sauces and salad dressings and reduces water and oil separation.
  • In  confectionary-  guar  gum  controls  viscosity,  bloom,  gel  creation,  glazing  and moisture retention to produce the highest-grade confectionary.
  • In beverages- guar gum provides outstanding viscosity control and reduces calories value in low calories beverages.
  • In pet food- guar gum forms gels and retains moisture, acts as a thickening, stabilizer and suspending agent for veterinary preparations.

 

Cosmetic Industry

 

Guar  gum  or  its  derivatives  being  used  as  a  thickener,  protective  colloid  and conditioner  in  hair/skin  care  products,  creams,  shampoos  and  lotions.  Beside  this, these  are  also  used  in  toothpaste  and  shaving  cream  for  easy  extruding  from  the container tube.

 

Pharmaceutical Industry

 

  • Guar  gum  or  its  derivatives  are  used  in  pharmaceutical  industries  as  gelling  / viscosifying / thickening, suspension, stabilization, emulsification, preservation, water retention / water phase control, binding, clouding/bodying, process aid, pour control for  suspensions,  anti-acid  formulations,  tablet  binding  &  disintegration  agent, controlled drug delivery systems, slimming aids, nutritional foods etc.
  • Guar  gum  is  an  important  non-caloric  source  of  soluble  dietary  fiber.  Guar  gum powder is widely used in capsules as dietary fiber. Fiber is a very important element of  any  healthy  diet.  It  is  useful  in  clear  the  intestinal  system  since  fiber  cannot  be digested.   This  keeps  the  intestines  functioning  properly  and  also  improves  certain disorders and ailments. All natural fiber diet works with body to achieve a feeling of fullness and to reduce hunger. Its synergistic mix of guar gum and fiber mixture when taken with water expands in stomach to produce a feeling of fullness.