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Seed Gums
Habitat and distribution
Guar grows well in arid to semiarid areas. It is a cultivated crop in India.
Description
An erect robust annual, 30-60 cm in height, more or less clothed with appresscd greyish
hairs, stems grooved; leaves 3-foliolaic, leaflets elliptic, acute, sharply dentate, hairy on
both sides, main nerves prominent; flouters small, purplish in axlllary racemes; fruits thick
fleshy pods, in clusters, subtetragonal, slightly pubescent, seeds 5-12 per pod, slightly
compressed. It is an upright growing plant with single stem. Several branches grow along
the stem from the base. Leaves are elongated, oval shape arranged in alternate position.
Leaves and stems are mostly hairy. Flowers are white to bluish in colour and born in clusters
in the plant axil. Pods are flat and slim. Seeds are small, flat, oval and greyish in colour.
Flowering & Fruiting : It is a seasonal plant cultivated throughout the year.
Gum Uses
Solubility in cold as well as hot water and other unique properties like thickening,
emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing, binding, etc. makes it suitable for variety of application.
Sizable quantity of guar gum produced is consumed in hydraulic fracturing for oil and
gas well drilling, where it acts as an emulsifier, thickener and dispersing agent.
n water based slurry explosives it is used as major gelling agent.
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s a food additive, guar gum binds water, prevents ice crystals in frozen products,
emulsifies, moisturizes, thickens, stabilizes and suspends many liquid–solid systems
like salad dressings, sauces, relishes, ketchups and canned soup, etc. Guar gum is used
in beverages to control viscosity as well as to reduce calories in them. Guar gum is an
important non-calorie source of dietary fibre and used in capsules as dietary fibre.
t provides excellent film forming and thickening properties to the fabric when used for
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textile sizing, finishing and printing.
In paper industry it breaks up agglomerated cellulose pulp fibres and disperses them
to form uniform pulp slurry and helps to create a denser surface to the paper used for
printing.
Guar gum is used as a binder, disintegrating agent in tablet formulations and in liquid
formulations it acts as a thickener, stabilizers, emulsifier and suspending agent.
Being water-soluble fibre, guar gum acts as a bulk forming laxative, promoting regular
bowel movements. It also relieves constipation and related chronic functional bowel
ailments, like diverticulosis, Crohn’s disease, colitis and irritable bowel syndrome
It cosmetics industry guar gum is used in manufacturing of tooth pastes, shaving cream,
lotions and other cream formulations where it ensures smoothness, spreadability,
phase separation and flow-ability.
Major gum and resin plants of India 73
