 Introduuction:
The guar plant is mainly grown in India and Pakistan from the month of July to December. Availability and pricing depend very much on the quality of monsoon during this period. Guar Gum is derived from the endosperm of guar plant. It is one of the most highly efficient water thickening agents known.
Properties:
Guar Gum is a white to yellowish white powder. It is nearly odourless. Dissolved in hot or cold water guar gum forms a paste of high viscosity. Guar's viscosity is a function of temperature, time and concentration.
Guar Gum has the following properties, which make it useful in variety of applications.
1. Easy solubility in cold and hot water.
2. Film forming property.
3. Resistance to oils, greases and solvents.
4. Better thickening agent.
5. Water binding capacity.
6. High viscosity
7. Functioning at low temperatures.
8. A major advantage of guar gum is that it does not need to be heated to get thick.
Applications:
Industrial application of guar gum is as follows-
1. Textile industry- Guar Gum shows excellent thickening properties when used for textile sizing, finishing and printing. It reduces breakage of yarns while sizing and gives better efficiency in loom shed.
2. Paper Industry- Guar Gum is used in the paper industry as an additive. It gives denser surface to the paper used in printing. It imparts improved erasive and writing properties, better bonding strength and increased hardness.
3. Explosives- By mixing guar in Ammonium Nitrate, Nitroglycerine and Oil explosives, even in wet conditions explosive property is maintained due to better swelling, water blocking and gelling properties of Guar Gum.
Application of Guar Gum in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry are:
1. Bakery- Guar Gum is used in the preparation of breads. Small quantity of guar powder when added to the dough increases the yield, improves texture and gives longer shelf life.
2. Diary- In this field guar gum is used as an excellent binder and stabilizer. It is used in the production of ice-creams, sherbets, cheese, liquid milk products and others.
3. Meat- Guar is used as an lubricant and excellent binder for various meat products. It allows storing with less loss of weight and can decrease the filling time for cans.
4. Dressing and sauces-Guar can be used as thickener to improve the stability and appearance of salad dressings, relishes, Ketchup's and others.
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