- Guar gum is a natural thickener used mainly in the food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and feed industries.
- Thanks to its thickening and stabilizing properties, it is widely used in various products such as ice cream, baked goods, shampoos and medicines.
- India is the largest producer of guar gum, accounting for most of the world’s exports.
- The popularity of guar gum is growing due to its versatility and natural origin.
Guar gum is a natural polysaccharide with versatile applications in various industries. Known for its excellent thickening and stabilising properties, it has found a place in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries, among others.
What is guar gum?
Guar gum is a chemical compound from the galactomannan group, a natural polysaccharide extracted from the seeds of the guar plant(Cyamopsis tetragonoloba). The plant is mainly grown in India and Pakistan, which account for more than 80% of the world’s production of this raw material.
Guar gum has a chemical structure based on mannose and galactose chains. The chemical formula of guar gum can be written as (C6H10O5)n, where ‘n’ denotes the number of repeating units in the chain.
Properties of guar gum
Guar gum comes in the form of a free-flowing, creamy white powder. One of its most characteristic features is its strong thickening properties. In contact with water, it forms very viscous solutions.
Other important properties of guar gum include:
- stability over a pH range of 5 to 7 – this allows it to be used in products with different pH levels;
- resistance to high temperatures (although these may slightly reduce its viscosity), which enables its use in technological processes requiring cooking or pasteurisation;
- biodegradability determined by the natural origin of guar gum.
Hydrolysed guar gum, which is a modified form of guar gum, is characterised by easier solubility in water and better compatibility with various chemical components.
How is guar gum produced?
What is guar gum made from? From seeds that are harvested and then cleaned of impurities and rehydrated. They are then ground to separate the endosperm, which contains polysaccharides, from the husks. The extract obtained is dried and processed into a fine powder, ready for use in various industries. The final product is tested for purity, viscosity and other parameters.
Guar gum applications
The versatility of guar gum makes it widely used in various industries.
Food industry
In the food industry, guar gum is one of the most commonly used thickeners due to its high thickening capacity. It is several times more economical than, for example, corn starch. As a food additive, it can be found under the name E412. It is found in products such as:
- ice cream and frozen desserts, where it prevents the formation of ice crystals, also showing good stability during freezing and thawing cycles;
- baked goods, where it improves the texture and stability of the dough, prevents the filling from leaking, and also replaces wheat flour in gluten-free products;
- sauces and soups, where it acts as an emulsifier and thickener, forming an emulsion or paste without gelling or releasing water from the product structure;
- cottage cheese, quark and yoghurt, in which it thickens and unifies the texture;
- frozen foods, instant meals, canned food in sauce.
Cosmetics and personal care products
Hydrolysed guar gum is commonly used in shampoos, hair conditioners and creams. Thanks to its moisturising and smoothing properties, it helps to improve the texture of these products and ensures ease of application.
Pharmaceutical industry
In pharmaceuticals, guar gum is used as an excipient in tablets and as an ingredient in moisturisers. Historically, it has also been used in the production of appetite suppressants and weight loss aids. Guar gum has been shown to lower cholesterol and blood glucose levels and is also a good source of fibre.
Other uses
Guar gum is also used in the petroleum, textile, paper and explosives industries. It is also used in the production of animal feed, where it acts as an ingredient binding agent, in cattle also increasing milk production and the fat content of the product.
Guar gum versus other thickeners
Other well-known thickeners include xanthan gum, locust bean gum and tara gum.
Xanthan gum and guar gum – what is the difference? Both substances are natural polysaccharides, with guar gum being derived from plant seeds and xanthan gum being a fermentation product of the micro-organism Xanthomonas. Xanthan gum dissolves better in cold water and is more stable in the presence of salts and acids. Tara gum can also be used as an alternative. What is tara gum? It is a natural polysaccharide derived from the seeds of the Caesalpinia spinosa plant.
All of the aforementioned gums are used interchangeably depending on the technological requirements of the final product. Guar gum acts synergistically with other thickeners such as locust bean gum, sodium alginate or xanthan gum.
The guar gum market and its major producers
The leader in the production and export of guar gum is India, which accounts for the majority of global exports. Here we can mention companies such as Avlast Hydrocolloids, Durga Enterprises, Altrafine Gums and Agro Gums. Guar gum is also produced in smaller quantities in other countries, such as the USA.
Europe, North America and Asia are the largest consumers of guar gum. At Foodcom S.A., we distribute guar gum. The food and cosmetics industries are the main sectors driving demand. Non-food guar gum accounts for about 40% of total demand. Worldwide production of this raw material is approximately one million tonnes per year.
Guar gum is an extremely versatile raw material with a wide range of applications in many industries – whether in food, cosmetics or pharmaceuticals. Its popularity in global markets is steadily growing, which is encouraging the development of production technologies and the expansion of the substance’s applications.
