Guar Gum Global Market

Guar Gum Global Market – Goma Guar, Gomme de Guar, Guarkernmehl

As India is the major producer and exporter of Guar Gum also known as Goma Guar and its derivatives, it has become the major cash crop for Indian economies. India contributes 80% of guar gum production out of the world’s total production of guar gum which figures out to 6 lakh tons. Agro Gums, agro exporters in India are the processors and exporters of guar gum powder, guar gum splits and provide guar gum derivatives in various parts of the world. The major importing countries of guar gum (Gomme de guar) and its derivatives are USA, Germany, Italy, China, Denmark, France, UK, Netherlands, Japan and South Africa. Below is the translation of Guar Gum in different languages for the better understanding of our global clients:-

Guar Gum – a Natural Thickening Agent

Among various natural agro products, guar gum occupies a very important place, as it is a rich source of high quality galactomannan polysaccharide. Guar Gum is extracted from guar seeds grown in a plant about 4 feet high known as guar plant. This guar plant is grown in India and Pakistan sown in July and harvested in October. The seeds from this plant are allowed to dry in sun. After drying the seeds in the sun, they are separated and processed into a flour which is known as guar gum powder. The guar gum splits are also sold as they have many uses in various industries. The processing technique of guar gum depends on the requirement of the end product. The guar gum powder has more thickening ability than cornstarch. It not only works as a thickener but also works as binder and plasticizer as well. Guar gum is easily soluble in water and has a natural ability to bind with water molecules. Without a binder like guar gum, different ingredients in might separate into watery mess as far as creamy processed foods are concerned.

Uses and Benefits of Guar Gum

Besides industrial extraction of guar gum from the plant, it is also used as the green vegetable and cattle feed. Guar gums also know as Guarkernmehl such as hydrolysed, hydroxyalkyl, carboxyalkyl, oxidised, sulphated, borated, cationic and various combinations of these are commercially useful for a number of industrial applications. Guar Gumhas many health benefits too. Taking guar gum with the meals can help in lowering blood sugar for diabetes patients. It also helps in lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The thickening properties of guar gum have made it a popular additive in products like puddings and ice creams. Guar gum (Guarkernmehl) creates a sense of fullness in the stomach and so it is also used in diet pills. Guar gum (Goma Guar) has many advantageous properties due to which it has become most used thickening agent in the industries like paper and pulp industry, cosmetics industry, textiles, personal care, health care, pharmaceuticals, food, animal feed etc. The Guar Gum seeds is very useful in petroleum and drilling industry due to which the seeds are highly demanded in the petroleum industry of USA and the oil fields in the Middle East. Guar gum powder has many versatile uses in Industrial applications. Especially for industrial applications, guar gum (gomme de guar) is processed in such a way that fast hydration and cold water viscosity is obtained. Fast hydration guar gum powder is extensively used for oil drilling, explosives and other industrial applications where quick hydration and immediate high terminal viscosity is needed. Fast hydration guar gum powder for oil drilling applications is the most important use of guar gum as oil and gas, are the two most important pillars of modern industry and our way of life.

Guar Gum : Structure Diagram

Guar Gum Chemical Stucture

Guar Gum mainly consists of hydrocolloidal polysaccharide with a high molecular weight, which consists of galactopyranose- and mannopyranose- units in glycoside linkage which can be chemically described as galactomannan. The main chain consists of (1-4) linked beta-D mannose residues and the side chain of (1-6) linked alpha-D galactose.

Guar gum has an overall ratio of mannose to galactose of around 2 : 1. Guar Gum has excellent cold water solubility because of the high galactose: mannose ratio.

The molecular weight of Guar has reported as 1-2 x 10 6. Further studies indicate that Guar Gum is a rigid rod like polymer because of the beta linkage between the monomer units. Guar hydroxylsare in the CIS position. The CIS position is important since adjacent hydroxyl groups reinforce each other in hydrogen bonding reactions.

Guar Gum Chemical Properties

• Guar gum is an economical thickener and stabilizer. It hydrates fairly rapidly in cold water to give highly viscous pseudo plastic solutions of generally greater low-shear viscosity when compared with other hydrocolloids.
• High concentrations (~ 1%) are very thixotropic but lower concentrations (~ 0.3%) are far less so.
• Guar gum is also emulsifier as it has more galactose branch points.
• It does not form gels but does show good stability to freeze-thaw cycles.
• Guar gum shows high low-shear viscosity but is strongly shear-thinning. Being non-ionic, it is not affected by ionic strength or pH but will degrade at pH extremes at temperature for e.g. pH 3 at 50°C. With case in, it becomes slightly thixotropic forming a biphasic system containing casein micelles.
• Guar gum retards ice crystal growth non-specifically by slowing mass transfer across solid/liquid interface.
• Guar Gum is known as one of the best thickening additives, emulsifying additives and stabilizing additives.
• Guar gum has a polymeric structure, containing several hydroxyl groups. The various derivatives or industrial grades of Guar gum are manufactured by reaction of these hydroxyl groups with chemicals that aid in:
  • Dispersion
  • Control Viscosity
  • Causing Gelling
  • Act as preservatives

Guar Gum is mainly used as a

• Natural thickener
• Emulsifier
• Stabiliser
• Bonding agent
• Hydrocolloid
• Gelling agent
• Soil Stabiliser
• Natural fiber