Guar Gum Profile
GUAR COMPLEX
INTRODUCTION
Guar or cluster bean (cyamposis tetragonoloba) is a drought tolerant annual legume crop, mainly cultivated in the northern parts of India as a kharif crop. This seed has a spherical-shaped endosperm containing galactomannan gum, which forms a viscous gel in cold water. Guar legume plant is an agricultural product grown in arid zones of west and North West India and parts of Pakistan. Guar seed is one of the few crops that can be produced in the desert areas. GUAR SEED: USES Guar seed is mainly used for human consumption, cattle feed, medicinal purposes and also for soil improvement. The immature pods are dried and fried as chips, and the green pods are also cooked for human consumption. Plants are fed as green forage for cattle and the beans are also boiled and fed to cattle, which is a good source of protein. Guar seed plants also have medicinal importance and the leaves are eaten to cure night blindness, used as a chemotherapeutic agent against smallpox, poultices for plague, cattle bellies, enlarged livers, head swellings, bone swellings, etc. Also since it is a legume, commonly used as cover crop and green manure. But in the modern times, approximately 90% of total Guar seed produced is used for production of Guar Gum and rest is used for culinary purposes and cattle feed, etc, because commercial interest in guar seed revolves around the endosperm of the seed which is ground to produce a powered gum used in a wide variety of products. The most important industrial use of Guar Seed is in the form of Guar Gum. Manufacturing of gum from its beans gives such astonishing results that it is considered `white gold'. Guar seed consists mainly of three parts: germ, endosperm and husk. Guar gum is a very important product of guar seed processing. Guar gum recovery normally comes around 31% of total guar seed processed, whereas Churi and Korma account for 29% and 37% respectively. Split/gum is further refined to guar powder, churi and korma
INTRODUCTION
Guar or cluster bean (cyamposis tetragonoloba) is a drought tolerant annual legume crop, mainly cultivated in the northern parts of India as a kharif crop. This seed has a spherical-shaped endosperm containing galactomannan gum, which forms a viscous gel in cold water. Guar legume plant is an agricultural product grown in arid zones of west and North West India and parts of Pakistan. Guar seed is one of the few crops that can be produced in the desert areas. GUAR SEED: USES Guar seed is mainly used for human consumption, cattle feed, medicinal purposes and also for soil improvement. The immature pods are dried and fried as chips, and the green pods are also cooked for human consumption. Plants are fed as green forage for cattle and the beans are also boiled and fed to cattle, which is a good source of protein. Guar seed plants also have medicinal importance and the leaves are eaten to cure night blindness, used as a chemotherapeutic agent against smallpox, poultices for plague, cattle bellies, enlarged livers, head swellings, bone swellings, etc. Also since it is a legume, commonly used as cover crop and green manure. But in the modern times, approximately 90% of total Guar seed produced is used for production of Guar Gum and rest is used for culinary purposes and cattle feed, etc, because commercial interest in guar seed revolves around the endosperm of the seed which is ground to produce a powered gum used in a wide variety of products. The most important industrial use of Guar Seed is in the form of Guar Gum. Manufacturing of gum from its beans gives such astonishing results that it is considered `white gold'. Guar seed consists mainly of three parts: germ, endosperm and husk. Guar gum is a very important product of guar seed processing. Guar gum recovery normally comes around 31% of total guar seed processed, whereas Churi and Korma account for 29% and 37% respectively. Split/gum is further refined to guar powder, churi and korma