Author Archives: Ajit Patel

With a high year to year variation in production and exports of the guar gum and derivatives, there is need for closer review of the whole value chain to identify priority areas where focus can be directed. Guar gum is used in the food and bakery industry since a good number of food stuffs and food related product compositions require the usage of colloids to alter the behavior of water compared to other components. The guar gum is an effective stabilizer, binder, thickener and water proofing agent in various food products.

Sector Wise Applications of Guar Gum

The sector wise application of guar shows that the food industry consumes approximately 25 – 30 % of guar gum produced from India, 60% of the production is up taken by petroleum and mining industries while the remaining 10 – 15% is up taken by the textile industry. Over 80% of the global guar production and export comes from India in the form of refined splits, gum powder and guar meals.

Emerging Issues and Constraints Related to Guar Gum Powder

Production Technologies

There have been a number of technologies developed for improved production of the guar gum. These include improved seed varieties, better / improved planting methods, better agronomical practices, soil fertility management, moisture conservation and other quality aspects. It has been shown from research that adoption of line sowing method enhances grain yield by over 35%.

Production in Non-Traditional Areas and Seasons

Cultivation has now been transferred to regions where it was not done previously in India. These new areas have potential for better moisture conservation and have been able to produce over 1800kg/ha of grain yield.

Dissemination of Technology

Most producers lack the knowledge of the emerging technologies in guar production and processing. This constraint is also attributed to lacking financial resources to access information.

High Gum Content and Varied Viscosity Levels

There is little variation in the gum content among the various guar varieties which ranges from 29 – 30% only. There is need for this content to be increased to about 35% which will increase the guar gum yield and the ultimate profitability of the crop. This can be achieved through more biotechnological research aimed at acceleration of gum content and viscosity.

Constraints and Development Opportunities of Guar Gum

• Growth period: Currently, the available varieties of guar gum mature in 90 days. There is need for developing early maturing varieties. Research shows that the S. Serrata, a wild guar species can be used as a source for earliness in the guar crop.
• Plant type Improvement: there is ongoing research on producing crops with less biomass and more reproductive area, as well as crops that will achieve greater synchronization of flowering for greater grain yields.
• Improved gum quality for specific applications: Guar gum for food manufacturing requires high gum content and should also have good viscosity.

Production of odorless and tasteless guar for food and feeds applications can also be a key area of research. For gelling applications, depletion of the galactose molecules can also be an area of innovation.

Guar gum derivatives are high valued products obtained through chemical engineering processes and chemical reactions to enhance the action of the guar molecules in various industrial processes.

The petroleum industry is the biggest consumer of the various guar gum powder derivatives. With the deepening oil and gas wells, the conditions for oil and gas extraction have become more demanding in respect to pressure, temperatures, Ph levels and other conditions. The stability of the guar gum is critical with these conditions and development of stable derivatives is important.

Manufacturing Guar Gum Powder Derivatives

Modification by chemical reaction is the most widely used process in manufacturing of guar gum powder derivatives. These processes include;

• Carboxymethylation of guar gum

Research has shown that carboxymethylation improves the properties of crude guar gum. Its usage is very important in the hydraulic fracturing process due to the resulting high viscosity of the aqueous solution and the ability to reversibly cross link the material. The resulting single derivative is called carboxy methyl guar (GMG) and has high industrial demand. Double derivative of guar gum has also been produced called carboxy methyl hydroxyl propyl guar (CMHPG) for industrial usage.

• Cross linked guar gum

Dialdehyde cross linking guar gum is blend using phosphorus oxychloride, sodium periodate and ethanol. Cross linking of the guar gum also reduces the viscosity and swelling power of the guar gum from the increased molecular weight and cross linkages formation.

Modification of Guar Gum through Mechanical Processes

Normal manufacturing of guar gum powder is a mechanical process where guar splits are made through conventional milling process and converted to a fine 200 mesh powder.

• Slow hydrating guar gum: Guar splits are grinded in coarse particle size and reduced prehydration, and higher pore sieves to achieve coarser powder with dehydrating properties.
• Fast hydrating guar gum: In this stage, prehydrated over swelled guar splits are grind to fine particle size to achieve fast hydrating properties.
• Hydrophobically modified guar gum: This is a new development in guar gum derivatization that resulted to a new category called hydrophobically modified polysaccharides (HMPS). This class of polymers possesses both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. It has been observed that the HMPS are very efficient viscosifier of aqueous media.

Industrial Importance of Guar Gum

The synthesized guar derivatives have extraordinary features. When compared to the parent polymer, the low viscosity of the grafted guars makes them less damaging to the underground formations.

In addition to the oil and gas extraction industry, guar gum powder and guar derivatives have applications in the paint and ink manufacturing. They may work as dispersants and thinning agents due to ability to lower viscosity and reduce the shear thinning. Synthesis of surfactants can also be done from the hydrophobic modified products of carboxy methyl guar.

Conclusion

The guar gum powder has numerous physical and chemical properties that make it a suitable product in various industries. The chemical structure allows it to be modified to obtain derivatives of desirable properties that are much less expensive, bio degradable and eco friendly.

The Global guar gum exports continue to grow rapidly with the biggest importer being to the United States of America. Other major importers include Canada, Europe and other nations. In terms of production, the sub continent of India is the largest producer of the guar gum, contributing approximately 80% of the total world production. This is closely followed by Pakistan making approximately 15% of the total production.

Guar Gum Powder Processing

The guar seed has three important parts that contribute to making of the guar gum powder. These are the seed coat, the endosperm and the germ. The guar gum which is the prime and marketable processed product from the guar seed is derived from the endosperm. The polished endosperm is separated from the fibrous material to obtain the Guar splits. The refined splits are pulverized and treated in several stages to obtain the guar gum powder. The gum is further refined to make yellowish white powder.

Important Properties of Guar Gum

The properties of the guar gum powder that make it useful for various applications include;

• Good solubility in cold and hot water
• Film formation properties
• Has resistance to oils, greases and solvents
• It is a good thickening agent
• Water binding capacity
• High viscosity
• Ability to function at low temperatures

The commercially important end products of the guar gum powder include the hydroxyl alkylated guar gum, oxidized guar gum, acetates of guar gum, sulphated guar gum, cationic derivatives of guar gum, guar gum acrylamide and reticulated guar gum.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

• Approximately 80% production is India hence good economies of scale
• The guar crop is drought tolerant, and sun loving hence suited to the semi arid growing conditions.
• Multiple functions and industrial uses of the guar gum powder
• Demand is always rising due to industrial use in the hydraulic fracturing process of oil shale gas production.
• By products , the guar meal korma has important uses in the animal feed industry
• 90 % of the product is exported to other countries mainly for the oil shale gas exploration; hence there is a ready market for the guar gum powder.

Weaknesses

• Community level organizations have poor participation in the value chain; hence maximum benefits go to the traders, processors, speculators and exporters.
• Community processing systems are absent, and most processing done by private processors.
• The business has high involvement of speculators who control the trade.
• Producer income is low due to many intermediaries.
• No grading at the farm leaves producers at the mercies of buyers.

Opportunities

• Government subsidies to farm inputs will lead to reduced cost of production and more profits to the farmers.
• Establishment of farmer led processing facilities, packing, storage and transport systems leads to greater returns to the farmer.
• More uses are emerging for the guar gum powder, hence growing business opportunities.

Threats

• Presence of substitutes for the guar gum powder in the hydraulic fracturing process negatively affects the total sales of guar gum powder.
• Adverse climatic conditions affect the crop production and yields
• Poor farm gate prices may affect farmer s interest in farming the crop.

Conclusion

The guar gum supply chain remains stable and is set to continue growing as more and more industrial uses emerge.

The guar gum is the ground endosperm of the guar plant seed found mainly in India and Pakistan. It also occurs in Texas in the United States. It grows mainly in the arid and semi arid regions. Chemically, the guar gum is a polysaccharide composed of mannose and galactose units joined by glycosidic linkages. The guar gum is soluble in cold water and effectively acts as a non ionic hydrocolloid. This makes it an effective thickening agent for various food applications. Due to its relatively cheap cost and availability, it has gained widespread popularity not only in food but also in other industrial applications.

Health Aspects of the Guar Gum

Studies indicate the guar gum is beneficial for a few specific areas of health and provide some health benefits.

Digestive Health

Due to its high levels of fiber, it has been found to support a healthy digestive system. Studies have found that it can help relieve constipation through speeding up food movement through intestinal tract.

Blood Sugar

Since the guar is a type of soluble fiber, it can slow absorption of sugar and lead to reduction in the blood sugar levels. Research has shown that regular consumption of food with guar gum leads to a significant drop in blood sugar and a rapid decline in the level of LDL cholesterol in the body.

Blood Cholesterol

Research has found that soluble fibers such as the guar gum have a cholesterol lowering effect. The fiber binds the bile acids in the body and causes them to be excreted. This decreases the amount of bile acids in circulation and forces the liver to use up cholesterol and produce more bile acids. This leads to a decrease in the cholesterol levels in the body.

Weight Maintenance

This is mainly associated with the role of fiber in reducing the total food intake. The fiber moves through the body undigested, thus promoting a satiated feeling and reducing the person’s appetite. The guar gum has been found to cause reduction of appetite and reduced intake of calories from snacks consumption.

Food Processing Applications

The guar gum solutions show good stability in most food processing operations and recipes. They have also been found to have good thermal stability at neutral PH levels. The cold solubility and good freeze – thaw stability has also made the guar popular in cold processed / frozen foods. In ice cream formulation, it is used to provide that smooth melt down and reduce the thermal shock while in meat products it helps prevent fat migration and dripping of fats in sausages.

Control of Viscosity

The main property of guar gum is its ability to form the viscous colloidal solutions after hydrating with cold water. The resulting solutions exhibit a variance in viscosity versus the shear rate of the non – Newtonian fluids.
The guar gum is also used in viscosity control during processing whereby it prevents clumping at the filling heads during canning processes. It is also widely used as a flour additive in the backing industry.

Guar gum powder is derived from Guar gum also known as guaran. Guar gum is extracted from guar beans. The Guar seeds are processed mechanically using several procedures like debusking, hydrating. They are later screened as per the application to produce a free-flowing powder (off-white in colour). The plant Guar Bean is mainly found in India and Pakistan. A large percentage of this is produced in India.

This article goes on to describe the properties of Guar Gum powder, how it is useful as a thickening agent and the role of a thickening agent in Mayonnaise.

Main Properties of Guar Gum Powder

It has several useful properties that make it vital for several applications in many different industries. Its ability to hydrate in quick time in cold water and attain a high level of viscosity even with low concentration is highly beneficial. The fact that it is soluble in cold water and also provides full viscosity in cold water is also taken advantage off for many applications.

Here are the main properties:

The fact that guar gum powder has good chemical and physical structure makes it one of the chosen additives form several food products. Its water solubility capability helps create a thick structure. As an additive Guar Gum Powder is extremely useful as a thickening agent, binding agent, stabilizer and emulsifier. It is useful for several applications and has there are many advantages of using it.

Mayonnaise is a thick sauce that is made from oil (it is also creamy), egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar and seasonings. Mayonnaise is essentially an emulsion of two liquids that will not mix where the ingredients may vary as per preference. The method of obtaining an emulsion is to gradually add one ingredient to another while rapidly mixing the ingredients.

A thickening agent is vital for mayonnaise to provide necessary viscosity. The main aim of the thickening agent is to improve good texture; the benefit being it will taste better and help the flavour have a greater impact on your taste buds. As far as mayonnaise is concerned it uses an emulsion of fats and liquids. It is optimal for use as a thickening agent in mayonnaise.

The fact that it is gluten-free makes it the optimal additive. It is derived from the cluster bean plant and is more effective (thickening power) as compared to cornstarch or locust bean gum. It helps increase the viscosity without causing any other reactions or changes in other properties. Besides which, it also helps improve the suspension of several other ingredients, provides extra binding, good to keep calories low and is one of the most popular natural additives.

Guar Gum is derived from the endosperm of guar beans (cluster beans). The seeds of a Guar plant consists of three main parts, the germ, endosperm and the husk.  The way this is processed involves removing the husks, followed by process of milling, filtering to produce a slightly yellow powder that is flowable. Guar Gum Powder is derived from Guar Gum that is native to the tropical region of Asia.

Important Properties & Applications

Guar Gum Powder is useful as a thickening agent, emulsifier and a stabilizer. Here are the main properties listed here:

Use of Additives for the Baking procedure of Biscuits

Guar Gum can be used for many different baking purposes and there is a different amount for each recipe. For example, if used for bread & pizza dough recipes you need to add 1 teaspoon of guar gum powder per cup of gluten-free flour, if used for cake or muffin it is necessary to add half a teaspoon per cup of gluten-free flour. As for when baking biscuits it is also advisable to add half a teaspoon per cup of gluten-free flour that is being used.

Advantage of using guar gum powder is that it is odourless, easily soluble in cold water and is free-flowing. It provides texture to the flour and it also responsible for providing elasticity that ensures bread fluffiness and chewiness. It is very useful for purpose of baking especially for the dietary management of a diabetes patient.

It is very useful as a binder during the baking process of biscuits. The purpose of a binder is to bind protein and starch molecules to ensure a good structure is formed for the baked products. It is vital when using gluten-free flour since it can form a network. Using a binder can strengthen the protein networks in various flours used in gluten-free baking. A binder as the name suggests if the true glue that keeps everything in place and binds all ingredients together. A binder is responsible for keeping the biscuit in place and prevent it from falling apart.

Guar gum, chemically, is an exo-polysaccharide that is composed of the sugars- galactose and mannose. The backbone of the structure is a linear chain comprising of β 1,4-linked mannose residues to which galactose residues are 1,6-linked at every second mannose. As a result, they form short side-branches. Guar gum has the ability to withstand high temperatures of 800c for around five minutes. The presence of extra galactose points makes the guar gum more soluble in water. There are a number of other properties of guar gum powder that makes it suitable for wide industrial applications. Guar gum is used in the food industry, textile industry, paper industry, explosives industry, pharmaceutical industry, cosmetics & toiletries industries, hydraulic fracturing.

What is Kefir?

Kefir is a type of fermented milk drink, which is quite similar to yogurt. It first originated in the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and Russia, and was prepared by inoculating cow, goat, or sheep milk with kefir grains. The grains of kefir are fermented overnight at ambient temperatures that yields sour, carbonated, and slightly alcoholic beverage having taste & consistency similar to yogurt. It contains a symbiotic culture of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts embedded in a matrix of proteins, lipids, and polysaccharides. This pattern resembles that of small cauliflower grains and is formed due to the result of microbial activity.

During the fermentation of kefir grains, the ingredient composition changes. Lactose or the sugar present in the milk is converted into lactic acid by the bacteria causing acidification of the product. This lactic acid is further broken into propionic acid. Other compounds that play a major role in flavor addition of kefir are pyruvic acid, acetic acid, diacetyl, acetoin, citric acid, acetaldehyde, and amino acids.

Guar Gum Powder in Kefir

Guar gum powder is used as an additive in making kefir. It is an important component for making dairy products. It is used in making cheese and improves its texture and tenderness. Guar gum powder also adds a mouthfeel to the dairy products and hence is widely preferred in the industry.

Guar gum powder is used in kefir as a thickening agent. Apart from kefir, it is preferred as a thickener in milk, yogurt, and liquid cheese products and help to maintain the homogeneity & texture of ice-creams. The structure of guar gum imparts it a number of properties that makes it suitable for numerous applications as gelling, viscosifying, thickening, clouding, and binding agent.

How to Make Kefir?

The first step of making coconut milk kefir includes mixing of kefir grains in the coconut milk and stirring it with a non-metal spoon. Then, cover the mixture with a coffee filter or a cloth and secure it by a rubber band. It is then cultured at room temperature, between the range of 68°-85°F. Guar gum powder is added before the solution is kept for culture in place of other additives and sweeteners as they can be hard on the kefir grains. Start checking the condition of culture after 12 hours. Once the coconut kefir has achieved the required consistency remove the milk kefir grains from it.

The Bottom Line: Guar gum powder is the most preferred additive in making Kefir. It is used as a thickening agent and should be added to the solution (before being kept for culture) in place of other additives and sweeteners who have the tendency to be hard on kefir grains. Guar gum has the ability to be used as a gelling, viscosifying, thickening, clouding, and binding agent in numerous industries.