2023-07-09 09:30:19
In this article, we explain how guar gum is an additive that not only improves the characteristics of foods, but also makes them beneficial to health.
Last update : July 09, 2023
The tires of guar or Guarani is a carbohydrate extracted from the legume Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, whose properties have expanded its use in the food industry. It is obtained by roasting, grinding and sieving its seeds up to a concentration of 80% of the galactomannan polysaccharide.
The tires of guar is one of the industry’s favorite additives as a stabilizer and thickener. It can be used to make sausages, cakes, cookies, cheeses, sauces and dressings, among others.
Additionally, as it is part of dietary fiber, it has health benefits, such as helping to control diabetes and helping with gut health. However, high doses can have laxative effects.
What is guar gum?
According to a group of food technologists, he heals them or eraser of guaran is a polysaccharide-like carbohydrate composed of indigestible glucomannan molecules. From a chemical point of viewit is a linear chain of mannose which branches through galactose sugar.
It is obtained from the crushed endosperm of the seed of the Indian bean plant, known to science as Cyamopsis tetragonoloba. It belongs to the legume family and is grown in India, Africa, Australia, Pakistan and the United States.
In its commercial form, the gum of guar is odorless and tasteless and is a white powder which when hydrated forms a thick solution. It has the ability to form chemical bonds with water, which allows it to turn into gels at low concentrations. Therefore, it is used as a thickener and stabilizer.
On the other hand, it is an indigestible carbohydrate that is included in soluble dietary fiber. In this sense, an important property of guarana is its ability to delay gastric emptying and slow nutrient absorption.
It is also used in the cosmetics, textiles, pharmaceuticals, paper, explosives and oil well drilling industries. Next, we will comment on its wide variety of jobs.
Uses of Guar Gum
Gum applications of guar are numerous in the food industry, in the field of health and in other manufacturing branches. We detail the properties that have made it one of the favorite ingredients.
Guaran has various applications in industry due to its properties.
As a food additive
In the food industry, gum of guar is used as an additive in a variety of food products, as a stabilizer and as a source of fibre. Morris explains that and guarana has the property of modifying the behavior of water. Additionally, it is considered a GRAS or generally recognized as a safe additive.
Read also: What are the types of food additives?
Drinks
In beverages it is used as a thickener and to control viscosity. It is resistant to the low pH present in these foods due to the addition of certain organic acids.
It is soluble in cold water, which facilitates its use in beverage processing plants. In addition, it improves the useful life of these products.
Dairy products
The stabilizing and water-retaining property of the gum of guar allows its application in the transformation of ice cream. In these dairy products, and guarana improves body, texture, chewiness and resistance to thermal shock.
The case of yogurt is when the hydrolyzed gum is used between 2 and 6%, which decreases water loss from the gel and improves other textural properties. In cheeses, the constant leakage of water from the curd is also a problem. But the addition of gum guar prevents the whey from escaping. The yield of this dairy derivative is also increased, especially in low-fat cheeses.
Processed meat products
And guaran retains water at both low and high temperatures. In meat products, it is effective as a binder and lubricant for sausages and stuffed derivatives.
In meat emulsions, gum of guar controls water and fat loss during storage and maintains liquid phase viscosity. Ham, sausages, bologna and salami become more stable.
Dressings and sauces
The ideal amounts of gum of guar for thickening sauces are between 0.2 and 0.8%. In emulsions, it acts as a stabilizer, preventing the separation of water and oil. According to some researchers, this gum has become a new thickener for tomato sauce.
Baked goods
The addition of Guarani in cake and cookie dough makes it easy to remove from the pan and slice it without falling apart. When combined with starch, it is effective in preventing dehydration, shrinkage and cracking of frozen pie fillings.
In wheat bread dough, adding gum of guar increases the volume of the bread once baked. By bonding with other gums, like xanthanit maintains the freshness of the rice cakes.
It also delays the setting of other baked goods, being able to control the loss of water through starch, known as demotion.
Health benefits of guaran
Previous studies have shown that gum of guar has some health benefits. We share some of them:
gut health
Partial hydrolysis of the gum of guar reduced in size and converts it into a new soluble fiber, with applications for intestinal health. For example, the magazine Nutrition comments that this type of gum replaces the use of laxatives.
Other experts also comment that it reduces symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, such as constipation and diarrhea.
Aid in weight loss
Due to the gum’s gelling ability of guar greater satiety is achieved with reduced gastric emptying. It decreases appetite, hunger and the desire to eat, which promotes weight loss in obese people.
Reduces blood lipid levels
A group of experts points out that an adequate intake of gum guar not only helps maintain bowel regularity, but also helps control blood lipid levels.
This gum acts like any soluble fiber being able to improve the production of bile acids from cholesterol and increase its excretion in the stool. It lowers total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, or bad cholesterol.
Dietary lipids are significantly reduced in the blood, as the absorption of triglycerides is slowed. Additionally, it decreases the activity of an enzyme that helps release fatty acids from the liver.
Guaran could lower blood cholesterol by slowing the absorption of fats in the intestine.
Read also: Lipids: types and functions
Controls blood sugar levels
The tires of guar slows gastric emptying by increasing the viscosity of ingested food and forming gels during digestion. There is a delay in the absorption of sugar from the small intestine and a decrease in the glycemic index.
Dartois and other colleagues, in a laboratory study, found that gum of guar can slow the digestion of starch, acting as a barrier that prevents the activity of enzymes that break it down. This minimizes your calorie intake.
Guarana Side Effects
The tires of guar can be considered safe when it is less than 0.5 to 1% in food. Above this concentration, it will show negative effects, such as increased viscosity, decreased protein efficiency and lipid utilization. In this proportion, the sensory characteristics of the product are also affected.
Very high concentrations of gum of guar can cause diarrhea, bloating, nausea and excessive gas production. When used orally, it should be diluted with approximately 250 milliliters of water.
The tires of guar represents one of the few additives that not only improve the sensory and technological characteristics of food products, but also provide health benefits. You have to be a little careful not to overdo the quantities.
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