Daily Archives: July 8, 2013

The guar gum is extracted from the seeds of the guar plant. It is a very popular industrial raw material that is used in very many sectors. Its uses and application range from food processing to textile, paper and even oil drilling industries. What makes it so valuable is its special properties that include; its solubility in certain liquids, ability to form viscous solution fast and its water retention property.

How Guar Gum Powder is Classified into Various Grades?

Different grades of guar gum powder are classified based on the particle size, rate at which they become viscous and the level of viscosity attained given a standard concentration. These qualities enable the differentiation of guar gum powder into three distinct grades.

Different grades of Guar Gum Powder

As earlier mentioned, guar gum powder has a myriad of uses in today’s market. All its different forms are used in different sectors of the industry. This is elaborated below.

Applications of Food Grade Guar Gum
Guar gum for the food industry is the most common use of this product. It is an important additive in most processed foods. It is widely used as a stabilizer to extent the shelf life of processed foods. Dairy products such as ice cream are prevented from forming ice crystals by use of the food grade guar gum. Due to its water retention abilities, it keeps baked products and dough in good condition by helping in retention of moisture. It is added to soups and sauces as thickener and stabilizer. It prevents settling of solid particles in suspensions like sauces.

Applications of Industrial Grade Guar Gum
The industrial applications of guar gum powder are very many. Firstly, as a thickening agent, it is used in textile industries to thicken dyes and in cosmetic industry to make shampoos, gels and lotions and tooth pastes. Manufacturers of explosives use guar gum powder (as a gelling agent) to form gels out of aqueous solutions because of its water-binding property.It is used to bind and strengthen products in the tobacco and paper making industries. Pharmaceutical industries use guar grade powder to form soluble fiber which aids in easing bowel movements.

Applications of Fast Hydration Guar Gum Powder
The diesel slurry guar gum has very distinctive properties that make it particularly suitable for oil well drilling. Its properties of viscosity and water loss control make it an ideal thickening agent, stabilizer and a suspending agent. Oil drilling processes for which it is particularly used include; fracturing, mud drilling and stimulation. Rapid hydrating guar gum powder also makes a good surfactant and lubricant for drilling machines, improving their efficiency. A surfactant is a substance that reduces surface tension of liquids.

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Conclusion
Much has been said about this wonder product, the guar gum powder. Its versatility makes it invaluable to almost all industries. It is a product that has surely improved industrial processes. Its many uses have no doubt been of great help to the different sectors and industries where it is a raw material of production.

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.

Why and in Which Food Products Guar Gum is used?

Guar gum is obtained from dehusking, milling and screening of guar seeds. The guar plant is grown mainly in India and Australia. Its world production is 700,000 tones. It is produced as guar gum powder and has more than a few uses ranging from guar gum for industries and food grade guar gum. Every type of guar gum is diverse from others with regard to its specifications. I will constrict my discussion to guar gum for food in which case there are multiple uses. Edible guar gum is processed in germ-free facilities with the highly developed machineries under quality control procedures.

One of the chemical properties of guar gum is that it is a polysaccharide which is a common source of energy and therefore, a valuable additive in foods. As compared to locust bean gum this is better soluble and is also a better stabilizer owing to the fact that it has more galactose branch points and is stable in solutions over pH range 5-7; thus it is used in stabilizing meat and cheese. Guar gum has eight times the water-thickening potency of cornstarch. Only a small amount is needed for producing sufficient viscosity thus can be used as an emulsifier as it prevents oil droplets from coalescing or as stabilizer for the reason that it prevents solid particles from settling. It retards ice crystal growth no wonder it is used in the ice cream industry.

Food grade guar gum is extensively used as emulsifier, thickener and stabilizer in food and cosmetics because of its properties. It provides smooth and creamier texture in ice creams keeping in mind the fact that it prevents formation of ice crystals and helps in the quick meltdown of dairy products. It thickens milk, yogurt and, liquid cheese products. For meat, it functions as a binder – as mentioned in the above paragraph.

The texture, crumb and structure of bakery products become really impressive with the addition of guar gum for food. This food grade product also increases the shelf life and dough yield of baked goods and improves their moisture retention. In noodles, guar gum helps in better sheet formation, moisture retention and texture. Otherwise, it aids in machine runnability; in so doing increasing production. Because of its moisture retaining capabilities, food grade guar gum is used in pastry ices as well as preventing excessive stickiness.

In pet food, it is used as a viscosifier. Another use of guar gum is in beverages, to enhance shelf life and body and mouth feel in addition to controlling viscosity. It is as well used in condiments to enhance stability and outward show of salad dressings, barbecue sauces, relishes, ketchup and others. In canned products like soup, this is added as a thickener and stabilizing agent.

As a water-soluble fiber, it acts as a bulk-forming laxative and so is claimed to be efficient in regulating bowel movements. This is merely one amid plentiful nutritional and medicinal effects of food grade guar gum. So said, it is established that guar gum powder is of very much use and significance to us and will always be. For more information please visit: https://www.altrafine.com/guar_gum_powder.html

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.

Guar Gum and its Properties that Make it a Useful Product for Use in Food & Commercial Industries

Guar gum is a product of the guar plant which grows mainly in India, Australia and Pakistan. It is obtained from the guar seeds of the guar plant. This is a legume plant from whose endosperm the gum is obtained. The world’s largest producer of guar gum and guar gum powder is India. Today guar gum is a popular food and commercial additive, and reasons for this are the valuable benefits offered by the product in different types of industries. The guar products are economical than other forms of gum and hence have become very popular across various industrial verticals for their applications. Guar gum particularly has many properties that have been beneficial to many industries. Guar gum is also known as guaran. Guar gum manufacturing involves a series of industrial processes as discussed below.

Guar Gum – Industrial Processing and Manufacturing

In large scale production or for commercial production, Guar gum is obtained after roasting the splits, differential attrition, then sieving and finally polishing is done. The seeds, after harvesting, are split and screened to clean them before being soaked for pre-hydration. Soaked splits are then flaked and ground into powder and dried. The particle size is important and those that are oversize are often reground to achieve the desired fine size of particle. Products of the manufacturing process are husks, guar gum powder and germ. The husks and germ are not discarded; instead, they are used as cattle feed.

Guar Gum for Food and Other Commercial Applications

Guar gum is favoured due to its viscosity and solubility properties. These make it possible for manufacturers to use it for very many uses. Its application is in industries such as; food production, mining, oil, textile, pharmaceutical, cosmetics et cetera.

Guar gum is used as a stabiliser in food production industries to increase the shelf-life of processed products. This applies to most canned food. As a stabiliser, it also preventsthe separation of the solid and liquid components of a product. This applies to suspensions.

It preserves dairy products such as ice cream because it has the ability to reduce formation of ice crystal.

Guar gum has the property of a water binding agent. It is a water loss control additive that reduces water loss in dough and confectionary products.

When put in water, Guar gum forms a thick, uniform paste. Its great ability of water-thickening makes it very effective even in small amounts making it a very economical thickening agent. This is applied in food production for pastes and sauces and in the textile industries to form film used in printing. Cosmetic industries also use Guar gum in toothpastes, lotions, shampoos et cetera as a thickening agent.

As an emulsifier, Guar gum is used to prevent the amalgamation of oil droplets. This application is vital in food production and is extensively used in margarine, salad dressing and ice cream production.

Due to its ability to become uniformly viscous, Guar gum is used in mining industries as a friction reducing agent. It is applied in holes thus saving power by reducing friction increasing the efficiency of drilling machines.

Guaran is applied in pharmaceutical industries to help treat disorders such as diarrhoea, constipation et cetera.

Conclusion

The uses of the guar plant product stretch across different sectors of industries. They are useful in numerous production processes and this makes the guar a very special plant. Though cultivated extensively in India, other regions of the world are picking up and are already engaging in cultivation of this multi-functional legume plant and in guar gum manufacturing. Its usefulness makes it a real gem for industries. To know more information about our manufacturing and quality of guar gum please visit: https://www.altrafine.com/manufacturing_and_quality.html

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.