Guar guma
Guar gum is a seed extract of guar beans where it serves as storage of nutrients and water. It is mostly grown in India and Pakistan and less in the United States, Australia, China and Africa. Guar beans were used for human consumption, as cattle food and for manure. Seeds of guar are peeled and grounded to obtain a guar gum, coarser or finer powder of white to off-white color. Industrial guar gum is used as a control agent in oil wells to facilitate drilling and prevent losses (leaks). Guar gum is economical because it has almost eight times the thickening capacity compared to corn starch – a very small amount is needed to achieve sufficient viscosity. It is used in many industries such as textile, paper, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and in production of explosives, mining and medicine.
Applications in food production are also numerous – in bakery it increases yield, resistance and improves the texture and durability; in dairy it thickens milk, yogurt, kefir and liquid cheese products and helps maintaining homogeneity of ice cream; in meat industry it serves as a binder. It is also used in the production of spices, salad dressings, barbecue sauces, ketchups, ready-made soups, instant oat flakes, sweet desserts, canned fish, frozen food and animal feed production.
CAS: 9000-30-0
Molecular formula: C12H24O12
Molecular mass: 180,16 g mol−1