Daily Archives: July 11, 2013

Guar Gum Powder and How It is Processed?

Guar gum powder is not a new discovery but has been in use for a substantial period of time especially in the manufacturing industry. Guar gum powder and guar gum is processed from a plant known as guar which predominantly grows in subtropical or semi arid climates in the region of Australia, Pakistan and India although new regions cultivating the crop such as China, parts of Africa and USA and many others are coming up. Guar is a leguminous plant that resembles the pea plant, the processing of guar powder starts by harvesting the mature pods and roasting the pods, this result to de-husking which gets rid of the husk and separation of the germ from the endosperm. The endosperm is then polished, crushed and screened to a fine off white or yellowish powder.

Properties of Guar Gum Powder That Make It Useful as an Additive for Pharmaceutical Processes

Guar gum powder for pharmaceutical uses comes with a variety of characteristics well suited for the function with the following most notable:

· Viscosifying: The high molecular weight ensures that guar will create highly viscous solutions even with low concentrations hence also gelling in cold water.

· Emulsifier: gum or powder from guar is a water soluble non-ionic polysaccharide hence good for emulsifying.

· Thickening agent: Guar has a high hydration rate thus will draw out water from a compound thus the thickening effect.

· Gelling: The free flowing and binding properties make the additive a good gelling compound.

· Preservation: The film foaming characteristic will keep off moisture and other foreign matters away from the product.

· Water Retention: Guar gum is very soluble with both cold as well as hot water.

· Binding: Being highly hygroscopic, the additive will hold products together easily.

Pharmaceutical Uses of Guar Gum Powder

The various aspects of guar gum powder for pharmaceutical not only aid in physically manufacturing the pharmaceutical products but also come handy during the absorption of the medicinal drugs whether syrups, capsules and tablets among other products into the body system. Uses will include:

• Tablet manufacture where the additive is used as a binder as well as a disintegrating agent.
• High solubility makes the additive suitable for manufacture of suspensions and syrups.
• The pH range of 5-7 makes it suitable for anti – acid formulation.
• The gelling properties of guar gum make creation of capsules more convenient.
• The thickening property makes the product suitable for controlled drug intake and absorption.
• Used as a slimming aid due its soluble dietary fiber which although absorbed into the body, it is not digested hence cleansing the digestive system.
• The all organic fiber which readily mixes with water also makes the body feel full hence reducing food craving thus aiding in proper nutritional and dieting.

Conclusion

Guar gum powder holds a central position in the pharmaceutical manufacturing processes due to its impressive chemical and physical properties; the product is a natural or organic additive as well as the final product being more affordable as compared to other additives within the same category. The gum product also comes in a variety of derivatives with notable forms being guar acetate, guar acetate phthalate, guar phthalate, oxidized guar and carboxymethyl guar among others. Familiar names for the powder from the guar seed based on the region will include goma guar (Spanish), Guarkernmehl (German) and gomme de guar (French) as well as other names. To know more information about guar gum please visit: https://www.altrafine.com/guar_gum_powder2.html

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.

People use different thickening agents while cooking. Thickening agents which can also be referred to as thickeners are substances that increase the viscosity of solutions or liquid/solid mixtures without causing significant change in other properties. They will thicken your food while making sure that your cooked food has a thick texture by absorbing excess water found in it. Thickeners are frequently applied to foods and they aim to modify the taste of the substance in which they are used in.

Most thickening agents are mostly used because they are polysaccharides or proteins. There are a variety of thickeners used for their difference in taste, clarity and response to chemical and physical conditions. Choosing the right thickening agent will break or make your dish. It is important to know and choose a thickening agent working well.

Thickeners may also help to improve the suspension of other ingredients or the emulsions which increase stability of product. Most times, they are regulated as food additives. One such example of a vegetable gum that is used as a thickener includes guar gum. There are numerous uses of guar gum as a food thickening agent. Here is why:

What makes guar gum a good additive for food?

Though the powder can be applied in different industrial applications, it works well as a food additive. Guar gum for food becomes a good thickening agent because of solubility traits that withstand different temperature levels. It is also a good stabilizer with good viscosity. Guar gum is more soluble than locust bean gum and is a better stabilizer because it has more galactose branch points. It is stable in solutions over pH range 5-7 and has reduced aqueous solubility at pH levels below 4.5. Hence the thickening capabilities of guar gum are reduced and thus it is used in stabilizing meat and cheese.

It also comes with other properties like gelling. Many use it in the food industry because of the affordability in the market. Apart from affordability, guar gum for food thickening comes with extra binding and thickening properties. This makes it the ideal thickening agent to loose foods like soup. When compared to other thickening agents in the market, guar gum as a food additive works eight times better than other cornstarch. Additionally, users add a small quantity of guar gum powder to give good viscosity to your food. When used as a food thickening agent, it does not affect the taste of your food, but enhances the texture, making your meal mouthwatering. Not to mention the fact that it has plentiful nutritional and medicinal effects and its cost effectiveness.

Applications of guar gum as a food thickening agent

Guar gum for food becomes a good additive because it has good chemical and physical structures. The water solubility trait makes a thick structure. It also shows different stability elements in food when cooked. In foods coked, it acts as a stabilizer, binding, emulsifying and thickening agent. Guar gum is a good additive to gluten free and baked products. It replaces flour in baked food that become easy to digest. It helps to soften the product. This reduces baking period and increases lifespan when stored. The thickening agent works well in the frozen food and deserts. When used, it prevents melting, makes them soft and makes them melt easily after eating. For those using soup and sauces, they can use guar gum for food thickening. When used, it acts as a thickener by absorbing excess liquid. This increases thickness while increasing the shelf life.

For that cooking low calorie food, this is the best additive. The powder added help to replace the taste of oil in low calorie food, thus avoiding the use of fat products. This helps to reduce weight for the obese. The low calorie foods to include guar gum include baked products, sour ice cream, cheese frozen deserts and ice caking. Because of its availability in the market and affordability, the guar powder has become a good food additive and thickening agent to many people. It has many benefits to enjoy. To know more about Guar Gum please visit: https://www.altrafine.com/guar_gum_powder_applications.html.

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.

Introduction on Guar Gum Powder:

Guar gum powder is white to yellowish in color derived from guar seeds or cyamopsis tetragonoloba and is not quite odorless. The Guar crop is a legume plant- a part of the pea plant family. The seeds have diverse viscosities when finely ground depending on the various levels of thickness developments and applications desired compared to other hydrocollids; an example is the locust bean gum. The major producers of these seeds are India, Pakistan, and US. Moreover, Guar gum not only does it have a high molecular weight but also composed of galactan and mannan units combined through glycosidic linkages, described chemically as galactomannan. Since it contains mannose and galactose units, it uniquely is able to hydrate without heating up thus making its very practical in industries and food applications.

Different Grades of Guar Gum:

The Guar gum powder grades categorized in two are food grade and industrial grade powder. The food grade is for processes such as baking, freezing, enhancing textures, beverages, canning, meat products, cheese production and much more. Meanwhile, the industrial grade is for processes such as explosive making, ore extraction, mining, textile printing, among others.

•             Food Grade Guar Gum Powder:

These depend on the particle size and viscosity variety. For instance, Particle size: 100 MESH has the viscosity range 3000-6000. Particle size 200 MESH has the viscosity range of 2000-9000

•             Industrial Grade Guar Gum Powder:

These depend on the particle size and viscosity variety. For instance, Particle size: 100 MESH has the viscosity range 3000. Particle size 200 MESH has the viscosity range of 2000-9000. Particle size 300 MESH has the viscosity range of 3500-5000.

Uses of Food Grade Guar Gum:

In baking, when mixed with the dough Guar gum increases the yield and gives greater resiliency; in addition, it improves texture and increases the products shelf life. Additionally, it provides firmness and steadiness to soft cheese in the dairy industry especially in cheese production. It acts as a thickener as well as improves the appearance in dressings and sauces. Its used as a stabilizer in chocolate drinks, fruit nectars, jams jelly and juices in the beverage industry. The gum is used in canned fish, sweet dessert, frozen foods, and enhances the texture of noodles especially the crystal formation of frozen noodles. In addition, it is used as a replacement to gluten and gelatin in binding meat products.

Industrial Applications of Guar Gum Powder:

The gum powder is used as a binder in the pharmaceutical industry for tablets production. Additionally, it is a thickening agent in textile printing, sizing, and finishing. In the mining industry, it is a froth or coagulation agent in ore processing as it is regarded as eco-friendly. It a mineral depressant especially in talc, calcite, and lead mining, also it is vital in copper-lead separation. The gum is used in water treatment and recycling, that is as Flocculation agent. In addition, it is used in the petroleum industry especially in drilling mud and fracturing fluids. It is a thickener in slurry-based explosives. In the cosmetics industry, it is a mixture stabilizer and surfactant.

Conclusion:

In conclusion Guar Gum powder is vital in both the food application and industrial processes since its vital in thickening, stabilizing, depressant, hydrating, texturing during various processes. To know more about Guar Gum please visit: https://www.altrafine.com.

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.

Production and Uses of Guar Gum

What Is Guar Gum?

Guar gum powder is a yellowish powder which is also used to manufacture guar gum, use of guar can be traced back many years where it was used for domestic purposes but has since grown into being one of the most popular used substances in the modern commercial setting. Preference for use of guar as part of commercial processes is attributed to the many advantages that come from the physical and chemical composition of gums, solvents or powders made from guar.

Guar Gum Powder Manufacturing Process

Guar is a leguminous bean that resembles the pea and is mainly found in the regions of Australia and India although small quantities are also available from USA, China and parts of Africa. Guar gum manufacturing process involves an intricate and delicate process which takes place in a variety of stages through a controlled guar gum manufacturing process. The beans or seeds from the guar legume are harvested upon the plants maturity and dehusked to remove the pods and seed coat (testa). The endosperm from the beans is then roasted, screened, polished, milled and finally sieved to produce a fine whitish –yellow guar powder as the final product. For more information please visit –  https://www.altrafine.com/about_us.html

Various Uses of Guar Gum

Powders as well as gum derived from guar are used for a wide array of chemical processes in the commercial as well as industrial sectors. Users of powder and gum from guar beans include small scale industries, middle level manufacturers as well as heavy duty manufacturing industries. The industries include the food industry, textiles, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, oil well drilling, construction, paper milling, printing, mining and explosive sectors among other sectors. Properties making guar based powders and gums so notable include the following:

• Stabilizer: -The chemical properties of guar will work well in acidic and alkaline situations due a wide variance in pH.

• Compatibility: Gum from guar can be used withhydrocolloids as well as hydroxyl groups which are the main ingredients especially in the food industry.

• Viscosifier: Guar has high viscosity even when used with very little water.

• Thickening agent: Gum guar thickens without the use of heat hence will suit both cold as well as hot situations.

• Solubility: – Guar is highly soluble in both hot as well as cold water.

• Water binding agent: guar is soluble in water but insoluble in organic insolvents thus forming a good water binder due to guar being a polysaccharide.

• Property of Film forming: -This will suit applications that desire to reduce water absorption or create glossy and smooth surfaces such as textiles and paper making.

• Friction reducing agent: -powder and gum derived from Guar are highly resistant to oils, greases and other solvents.

• Water loss control additive: The ability guar gum powder and guar gum to attract moisture (hydrophilic) and repel organic insolvents makes it well suited for processes requiring water addition.

Conclusion

Guar gum powder as well as guar gum plays an integral role in the manufacturing industry, the growth of the industries has also driven the demand for powders and gums from guar to escalate. Guar is known to be one of the most affordable and suitable substances in the commercial sector thus will continue to appeal to most manufacturers and other users of the guar based products.

This Article has been written & posted by Ajit Patel.