Guar gum, also called guaran, is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. The guar seeds are dehusked, milled and screened to obtain the guar gum ^[1]. It is typically produced as a free flowing, pale, off-white colored, coarse to fine ground powder. Endosperm is the tissue produced in the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. ... Binomial name Cyamopsis tetragonoloba (L.) Taub. ...

Production

Guar gum is extracted from the guar bean, where it acts as a food and water store. The guar bean is principally grown in India and Pakistan, with smaller crops grown in the U.S.A., Australia and Africa. The drought-resistant guar bean can be eaten as a green bean, fed to cattle, or used in green manure. For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... cow and ox, see Cow (disambiguation) and Ox (disambiguation). ... In agriculture, a green manure is a type of cover crop grown primarily to add nutrients and organic matter to the soil. ...

Properties

Solubility and Viscosity

Guar gum is more soluble than locust bean gum and is a better emulsifier as it has more galactose branch points. Unlike locust bean gum, it is not self-gelling.^[2] However, either borax or calcium can cross-link guar gum, causing it to gel. In water it is nonionic and hydrocolloidal. It is not affected by ionic strength or pH, but will degrade at pH extremes at temperature (e.g. pH 3 at 50°C).^[2] It remains stable in solution over pH range 5-7. Strong acids cause hydrolysis and loss of viscosity, and alkalies in strong concentration also tend to reduce viscosity. It is insoluble in most hydrocarbon solvents. Locust bean gum (European Union additive number E410) is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the Carob tree. ... Galactose (also called brain sugar) is a type of sugar found in dairy products, in sugar beets and other gums and mucilages. ... Borax from Persian burah. ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 40. ... Vulcanization is an example of cross-linking. ... In optical filters and theatrical lighting a color gel is a transparent or translucent colored panel used to change the color of transmitted light. ... An ion is an atom or group of atoms with a net electric charge. ... Hydrocolloids are used in some skin care products A hydrocolloid is defined as a colloid system were the colloid particles are disperesed in water. ... The correct title of this article is . ... Acidity redirects here. ... Hydrolysis is a chemical reaction or process in which a chemical compound reacts with water. ...

Guar gum shows high low-shear viscosity but is strongly shear-thinning. It is very thixotropic above concentration 1%, but below 0.3% the thixotropy is slight. It has much greater low-shear viscosity than that of locust bean gum, and also generally greater than that of other hydrocolloids. Guar Gum shows viscosity synergy with xanthan gum. Guar gum and micellar casein mixtures can be slightly thixotropic if a biphase system forms.^[3][2] Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to deform under shear stress. ... Thixotropy is the property of some non-newtonian pseudoplastic fluids to show a time dependant change in viscosity; the longer the fluid undergoes shear, the lower its viscosity. ... Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to deform under shear stress. ... Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide used as a food additive and rheology modifier. ... Micellar casein Micellar casein is a natural form of undenatured casein found in milk, and is separated from milk by means of chemical free ultrafiltration thus increaseing the amount of bioactive milk peptides to support immune function and enhance muscle growth. ...

Thickening

Guar gum is economical because it has almost 8 times the water-thickening potency of cornstarch - only a very small quantity is needed for producing sufficient viscosity. Thus it can be used in various multi-phase formulations; as an emulsifier because it helps to prevent oil droplets from coalescing, and/or as a stabilizer because it helps to prevent solid particles from settling. Products treated with cornstarch Cornstarch, or cornflour, is the starch of the maize grain, commonly known as corn. ... Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid to deform under shear stress. ... An emulsion is a mixture of two immiscible substances. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Ice-crystal growth

Guar gum retards ice crystal growth non-specifically by slowing mass transfer across the solid/liquid interface. It shows good stability during freeze-thaw cycles.^[2]

Grading

Manufacturers define different grades and qualities of guar gum by the particle size, the viscosity that is generated with a given concentration, and the rate at which that viscosity develops. Coarse-mesh guar gums, will typically -- but not always -- develop viscosity more slowly. They may achieve a reasonably high viscosity, but will take longer to achieve. On the other hand, they will disperse better than fine-mesh, all conditions being equal. A finer mesh, like a 200 mesh, requires more effort to dissolve ^[4].

Industrial applications

• Textile industry – sizing, finishing and printing
• Paper industry – improved sheet formation, folding and denser surface for printing
• Explosives industry – as waterproofing agent mixed with ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerin etc.
• Pharmaceutical industry – as binder or as disintegrator in tablets
• Cosmetics and toiletries industries – thickener in toothpastes, conditioner in shampoos (usually in a chemically modified version)
• Textiles
• Oil and gas drilling, well fracturing
• Mining
• Hydroseeding – formation of seed bearing "guar tack"^[5]

“fabric” redirects here. ... A blank sheet of paper Paper is a commodity of thin material produced by the amalgamation of fibers, typically vegetable fibers composed of cellulose, which are subsequently held together by hydrogen bonding. ... This article is concerned solely with chemical explosives. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nitroglycerin (NG), also known as nitroglycerine, trinitroglycerin, and glyceryl trinitrate, is a chemical compound. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ... For other uses, see Cosmetic. ... Modern toothpaste gel Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used to clean and improve the aesthetic appearance and health of teeth. ... Shampoo is a common hair care product used for the removal of oils, dirt, skin particles, dandruff, environmental pollutants and other contaminant particles that gradually build up in hair. ... “fabric” redirects here. ... Chuquicamata, the largest open pit copper mine in the world, Chile. ... Hydroseeding being carried out at the Isle of Grain, Kent, UK Hydroseeding (or hydromulching, hydraulic mulch seeding, hydraseeding) is a planting process which utilizes a slurry of seed and mulch. ...

Food applications

The largest market for guar gum is in the food industry. It is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in the US with differing percentages set for its allowable concentration in various food applications^[6]. In Europe, guar gum has EU food additive code E412. The food industry is the complex, global collective of diverse businesses that together supply much of the food energy consumed by the world population. ... For the mathematical constant see: E (mathematical constant). ...

Applications include:

• Baked goods - increases dough yield, gives greater resiliency, and improves texture and shelf life; in pastry fillings, it prevents "weeping" (syneresis) of the water in the filling, keeping the pastry crust crisp.

• Dairy - thickens milk, yogurt, kefir, and liquid cheese products; helps maintain homogeneity and texture of ice creams and sherbets

• Meat - functions as lubricant and binder.

• Dressing and sauces - improves the stability and appearance of salad dressings, barbecue sauces, relishes, ketchups and others

• Misc. - Dry soups, sweet desserts, canned fish in sauce, also found in "Natures Treats - Thai Organic Coconut Cream" and frozen food items and animal feed.

Wikibooks Cookbook has more about this subject: Baking Baking is the technique of cooking food in an oven by dry heat applied evenly throughout the oven. ... Dough Dough is a paste made out of any cereals (grains) or leguminous crops by grinding with small amount of water. ... Basket of western-style pastries, for breakfast Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Pastries For the Pastry Distributed Hash Table, see Pastry (DHT). ... A dairy farm near Oxford, New York in the United States. ... A glass of cows milk. ... Yoghurt Yoghurt or yogurt, less commonly yoghourt or yogourt, is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk. ... Grains of kefir For the Islamic term, see Kaffir. ... Cheese is a solid food made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, and other mammals. ... Look up homogeneity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Missing image Ice cream is often served on a stick Boxes of ice cream are often found in stores in a display freezer. ... Sherbet (Etymology: Turkish & Persian; Turkish serbet, from Persian & Urdu sharbat, from Arabic sharba drink) (British and American English) or Sherbert (Australian English and New Zealand English, also a variant used in American English) historically was a cool effervescent or iced fruit soft drink. ... Kinnikuman character, see Meat Alexandria. ... A lubricant (colloquially, lube, although this may also refer to personal lubricants) is a substance (usually a liquid) introduced between two moving surfaces to reduce the friction and wear between them. ... Look up dressing in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For the computer protocol, see SAUCE. Or see source. ... A bottle of Heinz Organic Ketchup Ketchup (or less commonly catsup) also known as Red Sauce or Tomato Sauce is a condiment, usually made with ripened tomatoes. ...

Nutritional and medicinal effects

Guar gum is a water-soluble fiber that acts as a bulk forming laxative, and as such, it is claimed to be effective in promoting regular bowel movements and relieve constipation and chronic related functional bowel ailments; such as diverticulosis, Crohn's disease, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome, among others. The increased mass in the intestines stimulates the movement of waste and toxins from the system, which is particularly helpful for good colon health, because it speeds the removal of waste and bacteria from the bowel and colon. In addition, because it is soluble, it is also able to absorb toxic substances (bacteria) that cause infective diarrhea. Dietary fibers are long-chain carbohydrates (polysaccharides) that are indigestible by the human digestive tract. ... Laxatives are foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements, most often taken to treat constipation. ... The intestine is the portion of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine. ... Constipation or irregularity, is a condition of the digestive system where a person (or animal) experiences hard feces that are difficult to egest; it may be extremely painful, and in severe cases (fecal impaction) lead to symptoms of bowel obstruction. ... Diverticulosis, otherwise known as diverticular disease, is the condition of having diverticula in the large colon which are outpocketings of the colonic mucosa and submucosa through weaknesses of muscle layers in the colon wall. ... Crohns disease (also known as regional enteritis) is a chronic, episodic, inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract characterized by transmural inflammation (affecting the entire wall of the involved bowel) and skip lesions (areas of inflammation with areas of normal lining in between). ... Colitis is a digestive disease characterized by inflammation of the colon. ... In anatomy, the intestine is the segment of the alimentary canal extending from the stomach to the anus and, in humans and other mammals, consists of two segments, the small intestine and the large intestine (or colon). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Large intestine. ... Phyla Actinobacteria Aquificae Chlamydiae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Lentisphaerae Nitrospirae Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Verrucomicrobia Bacteria (singular: bacterium) are unicellular microorganisms. ... Absorption has a number of meanings: In physics absorption is a process in which particles of some sort encounter another material and are taken up by or even disappear in it. ... Types 5-7 on the Bristol Stool Chart are often associated with diarrhea Diarrhea (in American English) or diarrhoea (in British English) is a condition in which the sufferer has frequent watery, loose bowel movements (from the Greek word διάρροια; literally meaning through-flowing). Acute infectious diarrhea is a common cause...

Several studies have found significant decreases in human serum cholesterol levels following guar gum ingestion. These decreases are thought to be a function of its high soluble fiber content. Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol) and a lipid found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and transported in the blood plasma of all animals. ...

Guar gum is of interest with regards to both weight loss and diabetic diets. It is a thermogenic substance.^[7] Moreover, its low digestibility lends its use in recipes as a filler, which can help to provide satiety, or slow the digestion of a meal, thus lowering the glycemic index of that meal. In the late 1980s, guar gum was used and heavily promoted in several weight loss products. The USFDA eventually recalled these due to reports of esophageal blockage from insufficient fluid intake. For this reason, guar gum is no longer approved for use in over-the-counter weight loss aids in the United States. Moreover, a meta-analysis that combined the results of 11 randomized controlled trials found that guar gum supplements were not effective in reducing body weight.^[8] Thermogenics are dietary supplements taken to increase the bodys metabolism through the generation of heat (thermogenesis) and thus burn fat. ... Satiety, or the feeling of fullness and disappearance of appetite after a meal, is a process mediated by the ventromedial nucleus in the hypothalamus. ... Glycemic index (also glycaemic index, GI) is a ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels. ... The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the government agency responsible for regulating food (human and animal), dietary supplements, drugs (human and animal), cosmetics, medical devices (human and animal), biologics and blood products in the United States. ... A meta-analysis is a statistical practice of combining the results of a number of studies. ... Randomization is the process of making something random. ...

Two Japanese studies using rats showed that guar gum supports increased absorption of calcium occurring in the colon instead of in the small intestine. This means that lesser amounts of calcium may be consumed in order to obtain its recommended minimum daily intake (RDI). This has obvious implications for reduced calorie diets, since calcium rich dairy products tend to be high in calories. General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 4, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 40. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Large intestine. ... In biology the small intestine is the part of the gastrointestinal tract (gut) between the stomach and the large intestine and includes the duodenum, jejunum, and the ileum. ...

However, guar gum is also capable of reducing the absorbability of dietary minerals (other than calcium), when foods and/or nutritional supplements containing them are consumed concomitantly with it. However, this is less of a concern with guar gum than with various nonsoluble dietary fibers. In the United States, a dietary supplement is defined under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 as a product taken by the mouth that contains a dietary ingredient that is intended as a supplement to the diet. ...

Some studies have found guar gum to improve dietary glucose tolerance. Research has revealed that the water soluble fiber in it may help people with diabetes by binding with glucose in the gastrointestinal tract, thus preventing its absorption. Glucose (Glc), a monosaccharide (or simple sugar), is the most important carbohydrate in biology. ... This article is about the disease that features high blood sugar. ... Upper and Lower gastrointestinal tract The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), also called the digestive tract, or the alimentary canal, is the system of organs within multicellular animals that takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste. ...

It also functions as an adjuvant for diabetic drugs that are sometimes employed for the treatment of noninsulin dependent diabetes. The effect is to help lower blood glucose levels. Thus, diabetic patients who are taking drugs should consult their doctors before supplementing with guar gum. In medicine, adjuvants are agents which modify the effect of other agents while having few if any direct effects when given by themselves. ...

External links

• GUAR GUM
• Guar Gum
• Swimming in a pool of guar gum slime is as easy as water
• DINESH ENTERPRISES -EXPORTER OF GUAR GUM POWDER

References

1. ^ foa.org
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Martin Chaplin "Water Structure and Behavior: Guar Gum". April 2006. London South Bank University
3. ^ Lynn A. Kuntz. "Special Effects With Gums". December 1999. Food Product Design
4. ^ foodproductdesign.com
5. ^ Product description: Guar Tack. S&S Seeds Inc. 2006
6. ^ fda.gov
7. ^ JC Brown & G Livesey. "Energy balance and expenditure while consuming guar gum at various fat intakes and ambient temperatures". Am J Clin Nutr. 1994. 60(6):956-64 (ISSN: 0002-9165)
8. ^ Pittler MH, "Ernst E. Guar gum for body weight reduction: meta-analysis of randomized trials". Am J Med. 2001;110(9):724-730.

Sources

• Guar gum specification