Introduction There are various Grades of
Guar Gums Pure or Derivatised.
Guar gum is a white to creamy coloured, free flowing powder and free from extraneous
matter. Its ability to suspend solids, bind water by hydrogen bonding, control the
viscosity of aqueous solutions and form strong tough films, have accounted for its rapid
growth and use in various industries. Industrial grade Guar Gum is used in Paper, Textile
Processing, Explosives, Detergents, Drilling Fluids, Ceramics, Paints and many other
industries.
The purified grade is used in the Pharmaceuticals, Dialectic, Cosmetic and Food
Industries.
Properties
Guar Gum has the following properties, which make it useful in wide variety of
applications:
a) Easy solubility in cold and hot water.
b) Fine film forming property.
c) Resistance to oils, greases & solvents.
d) Better thickening action.
e) Physiologically Inert nature.
f) Non-ionic, Anionic or Cationic character.
g) Water binding due to Hydrogen Bonding.
Grades
Guar Gum is marketed in two basic forms:
1) Food, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetic & Dialectic grade,
2) Technical Or Industrial Grade
depending upon:
a) Active matter content
b) Granulation
c) Viscosity
d) pH
e) Degree of substitution
Applications
Food, Pharmaceutical & Dialectic
Industries:
Guar Gum in pure form when used in the ice creams acts as a superior
stabiliser and gives the right texture by preventing the formation of coarse ice crystals.
The present trend is to use agro-based Guar Gum only for Ice cream, without any Additives
or Preservatives, in place of Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), which is a chemical
derivative of cellulose and therefore objectionable, in Europe, Japan and America for Food
Products.
In squashes, sauces and sherbets, it functions as a suspending
agent and as a stabiliser. It has got a low calorific food value, and it is an excellent
bulk laxative. It is used as a suspending agent for Calamine and Barium Sulphate.
It increases the mechanical strength of tablets during pressing.
It readily disperses in water. It is used in jellies and ointments as a thickener. It
imparts good viscosity and gives better foam stability in shampoos. It is compatible with
glycerol and is used in tooth-pastes.
Bakery Industry:
It is used in the Bakery Industry, in Bread, Pastry, Cakes and Cookies. On dry mixing
prior to dough making in Bread, it helps to retain moisture and hence the weight of Bread.
It keeps the Bread smooth, pliable and fresh for longer time and
imparts milky white bleached appearance to Bread.
Cosmetics:
Guar Gum is soluble in cold and hot water and this solution is not attacked by Bacteria.
Guar Gum Protective colloid forming capacity results in emulsion stabilisation. It is also
a good thickener and suspending agent in Cosmetics.
Textile Industry (Sizing and Thickener for Printing on
Cotton, Silk, Wool and Synthetics):
Guar Gum gives excellent film forming and thickening properties when used for
textile sizing, finishing and printing. It reduces breakage of yarns while sizing and
gives better efficiency in loom shed. Guar Gum is physiologically inert and is also
resistant to greases, oils and organic solvents.
Paper Industry:
Guar Gum is used in paper manufacture as a better additive. It gives denser
surface to the paper used for printing. Guar Gum imparts improved erasive and writing
properties, better bonding strength and increased hardness. Due to improved adhesion, it
gives better breaking, mullen and folding strengths.
Oil Well Drilling (as Viscosifier, Bore-well Retainer and
Fracturing Gum):
Guar Gum when used in oil well drilling muds, gives a better colloid thereby
reducing water losses. It regulates the viscosity of mud solution, stabilises and
regulates the flow properties of the drilling muds.
Explosives (as Water Blocking Agent in Nitro-glycerine,
Slurry Explosives, Ammonium Nitrate & Dynamite Explosives):
By mixing Guar Gum in Ammonium Nitrate, Nitro-glycerine & Oil Explosives,
even in wet conditions explosive property is maintained. This is due to the better
swelling, water blocking and gelling properties of Guar Gum.
Guar Gum is also used in the following industries:
a) Insecticides & Pesticides
b) Detergents & Soaps
c) Paint Industry
d) Electrodes & Brazing Fluxes
e) Plywood
f) Leather Industry
g) Foundry
h) Tobacco Processing
i) Pencils Crayons
j) Adhesives
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