demand of guar gum

According to industry estimates, global guar gum demand grew 33% to 681k metric tons in the 2011-12 selling season from 510k in 2010-2011. These same sources estimate a more modest 4% increase in demand in 2012-2013 to 711k metric tons. India is the world’s leading supplier of guar gum, producing roughly 80% of global supplies. The US purchased 75% of India’s guar gum output in 2011-2012, with China a distant second at 6%. Of this US demand, 62% of it was for industrial grade guar gum, with the majority of that demand being fueled by the oil and gas industry. Guar Global will focus on producing hydroxypropyl guar gum for the US oil and gas industry, where it is valued for its unique gelling properties, making it ideal for resource extraction in drilling and hydraulic fracturing projects. Guar gum is the main 
natural (EPA safe) viscosifier for fracking fluids. It mixes with water, leaves behind minimal residue and is easy to crosslink and clean out. It is estimated that each frack utilizes roughly 10,000 lbs of guar gum. Demand for natural gas shows no sign of slowing down, and the International Energy Outlook 2013 predicts global natural gas demand to rise 1.5% annually through 2040

guar gum health benefits



Guar Gum is popular and has a wide range of uses in many industries, the largest market being the food industry.Primarily due to its affordability, high soluble fibre content, its ability to absorb liquids and act as a strong thickening agent in small uantities.In cooking and baking Guar Gum is included as a natural food stabiliser,
thickener and emulsifier.It is used in doughs, pastries, dairy foods,soups, stews, drinks and condiments, safe in gluten-free products and used in ice cream and frozen desserts to retard ice crystal growth. It is a positive addition to dietary fibre intake, for general digestive and colon health and to assist with conditions such as diarrhoea, constipation and chronic bowel conditions. Guar Gum may promote a protective, pain-relieving and healing effect on gastric ulcers, contribute to lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels in those with relative conditions and also play a positive role in general weight loss and obesity with the promotion of fullness, satiety and appetite suppression. It is also a popular choice in the manufacture of skin creams and gels to thicken and stabilise preparations.Certainly a natural and affordable plant based alternative to consider for use, 

Applications of Food Grade Guar Gum Powder/ Derivatives

In food Industry guar gum / derivatives is used as gelling, viscosifying, thickening, 
clouding and binding agent as well as used for stabilization, emulsification, 
preservation, water retention, enhancement of water soluble fiber content etc. Some 
food products in which guar gum powder is used are: 

1 Ice cream, soft drinks & concentrates, puddings 

2 Chocolate milk, flavored milk 

3 Pet Foods 

4  Bread, biscuit and other baked foods

5  Ham and sausages 

6 Soft cheese and cheese spreads 

7 Canned or retorted food of fish and meat 

8  Myonnaise, ketchup, sauce and dressings 

9  Noodles and pasta 

In frozen food products- guar gum reduces crystal formation; act as a binder & 
stabilizer to extend shelf life of ice cream

In baked food products- guar gum provides unparallel moisture preservation to the 
dough and retards fat penetration in baked foods.

In dairy products- guar gum improves texture, maintains uniform viscosity and color

In sauces & salad preparations- guar gum acts as a water binder in sauces and salad 
dressings and reduces water and oil separation.

In confectionary- guar gum controls viscosity, bloom, gel creation, glazing and 
moisture retention to produce the highest-grade confectionary.

In beverages- guar gum provides outstanding viscosity control and reduces calories 
value in low calories beverages.

In pet food- guar gum forms gels and retains moisture, acts as a thickening, stabilizer 
and suspending agent for veterinary preparations. 

Pharmaceutical Industry 

Guar gum or its derivatives are used in pharmaceutical industries as gelling / viscosifying / thickening, suspension, stabilization, emulsification, preservation, water 
retention / water phase control, binding, clouding/bodying, process aid, pour control 
for suspensions, anti-acid formulations, tablet binding & disintegration agent, controlled drug delivery systems, slimming aids, nutritional foods etc. 

Guar gum is an important non-caloric source of soluble dietary fiber. Guar gum powder is widely used in capsules as dietary fiber. Fiber is a very important element of any healthy diet. It is useful in clear the intestinal system since fiber cannot be digested. This keeps the intestines functioning properly and also improves certain disorders and ailments. All natural fiber diet works with body to achieve a feeling of fullness and to reduce hunger. Its synergistic mix of guar gum and fiber mixture when taken with water expands in stomach to produce a feeling of fullness.

guar gum Industrial

· In Oil and Gas Industry:
Guar gum and its derivatives like hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG) and carboxymethyl gum (CMG) have found a broad range of application in petroleum industry as additives for aqueous and water / methanol based fracturing fluids. They serve as water loss control, viscosity control, suspensions, friction reduction or mobility control agent. Hydraulic fracturing requires that a large volume of fluid be pumped very rapidly in to the well to separate the rock layers mechanically hence friction reduction by addition of water soluble polymers is practiced routinely, the same polymers usually aid in suspending the proppant (Hydraulic fracturing is a method used to create fractures that extend from a borehole into rock formations, which are typically maintained by a proppant, a material such as grains of sand or other material which prevent the fractures from closing. The method is informally called fracing or hydro-fracing) agent
such as sand. Guar gum based product in aqueous fluids is used in drilling shallow wells. These applications utilize the gum’s properties to increase viscosity, reduce fluid loss and decrease fluid friction.
· In Paper Industry:
The major use of galactomannan and its cationic derivatives in paper making, is the wet end of the process. The gum added to the pulp suspension just before the sheet is formed. The pulping process, which is designed to remove lignin and thereby produce a fibrous pulp, also removes a large part of the hemicelluloses normally present in wood which could contribute greatly to the hydration property of the pulp and the strength of the paper formed from the pulp. Galactomannans and cationic guar replace or supplement the natural hemicelluloses in the paper binding.
· In Textile Industry:
Guar gum derivatives like depolymerized, carboxymethyl, cross linked guar are widely used in textile printing .These modified guar gum derivatives givehigh color yield, reduced bleeding effect, sharpness and effective penetration of dye. Beside this it is also used as sizing agent.
· In Mining Industry:
In the mining industry galactomannans are used as chemical flotation agents by getting absorbed onto hydrated mineral surfaces. In flotation, the galactomannan functions as depressant to block the absorption of other reagents onto the surfaces of talc and other gangues, which are mined along with the valuable minerals.
· In Explosives Industry:
Water proofing, thickening and foam stabilizing properties are required in the preparation of explosives. Slurry explosives are generally based on various concentrated (60-80%) suspensions or solutions of nitrate salts; therefore gum to be employed must be compatible with high-level of salts. Oxidized guar gum are the most commonly used polysaccharides to thicken slurry explosives. In the production of water-resisting ammonium nitrate stick explosive, guar gum is used as a binding agent. When the explosive stick is immersed in water, the oxidized gum in the outer wall swells rapidly and the resultant gel retards leaching of the salts. It is also used as a thickener and gelling agent for slurry explosive.
· In Cosmetic Industry:
Cationic guar, a derivative of guar gum is used to thicken various cosmetics products. Cationic guar products are specially used to impart performance functions such as thickening, conditioning, foam stability, softening and lubricity in cosmetics and toiletries like hair and skin care products, cleansing and bathing products.

Industrial used of Guar Gum 

Industrial Applications of Guar Gum 

Guar gum and its derivatives are widely used in various industries as per its needs. Its used in industries such as food, textile, pharmaceuticals, personal care, health  care, nutrition, cosmetics, paper, explosives, mining and oil well drilling. Guar gum 

mainly functions as a thickener, emulsifier, stabilizer, binding agent, gelling agent, natural fiber, flocculant, fracturing agent etc. in the above-mentioned industries Applications of Food Grade Guar Gum Powder/ Derivatives. 

Food Industry 
In food Industry guar gum / derivatives is used as gelling, viscosifying, thickening, clouding and binding agent as well as used for stabilization, emulsification, preservation, water retention, enhancement of water soluble fiber content etc. Some food products in which guar gum powder is used are:Ice cream, soft drinks & concentrates, puddings Chocolate milk, flavored milk .
Pharmaceutical Industry 
Guar gum or its derivatives are used in pharmaceutical industries as gelling / viscosifying / thickening, suspension, stabilization, emulsification, preservation, water retention / water phase control, binding, clouding/bodying, process aid, pour control for suspensions, anti-acid formulations, tablet binding & disintegration agent, controlled drug delivery systems, slimming aids, nutritional foods etc. Guar gum is an important non-caloric source of soluble dietary fiber. Guar gum powder is widely used in capsules as dietary fiber. Fiber is a very imprtant element of any healthy diet. It is useful in clear the intestinal system since fiber cannot be digested. This keeps the intestines functioning properly and also improves certain disorders and ailments. All natural fiber diet works with body to achieve a feeling of fullness and to reduce hunger. Its synergistic mix of guar gum and fiber mixture when taken with water expands in stomach to produce a feeling of fullness.   

Cosmetic Industry 

Guar gum or its derivatives being used as a thickener, protective colloid and conditioner in hair/skin care products, creams, shampoos and lotions. Beside this, these are also used in toothpaste and shaving cream for easy extruding from the container tube. 


Applications of Industrial Grade Guar Gum Powder/ Derivatives 

In industrial applications, guar gum powder/derivatives utilized as thickening agent, sizing agent, wet-end strength additive, gelling agent and water barrier, flocculation aid for waste water treatment, as emulsifier, binder. Also used for mud formulations, enhanced oil recovery, polymer flooding, well treatment, lost circulation plugging etc. Guar gum industrial grade powder is used in industries such as textile printing & 
sizing, fire fighting, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, printing inks, mosquito mats, synthetic resins, paper industry, battery electrolytes, water treatment, floatation agent, water paint, carpet printing, oil well drilling, explosives, mining etc. 


Paper Industry 
Guar gum provides better properties compared to substitutes.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. 

Textile Industry 
Guar gum gives excellent film forming and thickening properties when used for textile sizing, finishing and printing.It reduces warp breakage, reduces dusting while sizing and gives better efficiency in production. 

Oil Field Industry 
Industrial grade guar gum powder/derivatives are use in oil well fracturing, oil well stimulation, mud drilling and industrial applications and preparations as a stabilizer, thickener and suspending agent. It is a natural, fast hydrating dispersible guar gum and is diesel slurriable.13in the oil field industry, guar gum is used as a surfactant,synthetic polymer and deformer ideally suited for all rheological requirements of water-based and brinebased drilling fluids. High viscosity guar gum products are used as drilling aids in oil well drilling, geological drilling and water drilling. These products are used as viscosifiers to maintain drilling mud iscosities that enable drilling fluids to remove drill waste from deep holes.Guar gum products also reduce friction in the holes,and so minimizing power requirements. Some guar gum derivatives act to minimize water loss should occur in broken geological formations.Metallurgical and Mining Industry Guar gum is widely used as a flocculants to produce liquid solid separation.Guar gum is also used in flotation. It acts as a depressant for talc or insoluble gangue mined along with the valuable minerals. 

Explosive Industry 



Gelling agent for gel sausage type explosives and pump able slurry explosives.Water blocking agent in nitro-glycerine, slurry explosives, ammonium nitrate and dynamite explosives- by mixing guar gum in mmonium nitrate, nitro-glycerine and 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. Note: The author has used various references in the preparation of this article. For further details please contact him. ACI AGRO SOLUTION

GUAR GUM MEDICINAL USES

 guar’s roots have nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which improve the quality of the soil and increase the yield of subsequent crops. In addition to being an organic green manure, the guar seed is a valuable source of vegetable protein for humans and cattle. Unlike the seeds of other legumes, cluster beans have large endosperms that contain galactomannan, a  gum that forms a gel in cold water. This gel is used as an ingredient for strengthening paper and as a thickener for ice cream and salad dressing.

Due to its high fiber content, guar also has medicinal uses. It helps in maintaining a healthy digestive tract and can effectively treat various intestinal diseases, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crohn’s disease.

With such valuable traits, it is no surprise that organizations like Practical Action are encouraging farmers in the semi-arid Zambezi valley of northern Zimbabwe to grow cluster beans. This project has provided small-scale farmers with some of the inputs they needto cultivate the crop, as well as helping them develop a sound market system to reap benefits from the harvest.

There have been additional efforts to introduce guar in other parts of Africa as a way to increase both nutrition and income. The Agricultural Research Corporation (ARC) in Sudan recently conducted a study to evaluate the crops’ adaptability to the semi-arid environment of the Darfur region. In this study, guar was grown along with other crops under the same environmental conditions. When harvested, guar had the highest yield, prompting suggestions that it should be introduced in the region as a new food crop. This could be an important step to reduce hunger in Darfur, a region that is still one of the “world’s worst hunger hotspots” according to Amer Daoudi, representative for the UN’s World Food Program in Sudan.

As the popularity of guar increases, this versatile crop could prove useful in not only combating hunger but also providing an economic outlet for small scale farmers in semi-arid regions of the world.

To read more about indigenous crops see: Finger Millet: A Once and Future Staple, Lablab: The Bountiful, Beautiful Legume, The Green Gold of Africa and Potato, Potahto.


The Demand Side of the Market.

When discussing demand, economists like to distinguish between the effects of price changes taken in isolation and the effects of structural changes that shift the relationship between price and demand over time movements along demand curves and shifts in demand curves, if you remember that lecture from your Econ 101 course. The effects of price changes on the quantity demanded are measured by elasticity of demand the percentage change in the quantity of a good demanded as the result of a 1 percent change in its price.
Guar is a good with no important final uses. As an input for industrial uses, is elasticity of demand depends on its share in total production costs, the availability of substitutes, and the elasticity of demand for the final products it goes into oil, gas, and food products.
Together, those factors keep the elasticity of demand low. With regard to its use in energy production, demand for oil and gas is itself inelastic and there appear to be no good substitutes for guar in fracking fluid. Those considerations offset the fact that the share of guar in production costs, as noted above, is substantial. Demand for food products that use guar is more elastic than for oil and gas, and substitutes are available in some cases. For example, the U.S. company TIC Gums offers a product called Ticaloid GR4520 that it claims performs as well as guar gum for industrial baked goods, although at a somewhat higher cost. However that consideration is offset by the fact that guar accounts for only a small share of the cost common foods.
When elasticity of demand is low, short-run changes in market conditions can lead to large fluctuations in price, as happened in the guar market earlier this year.  Also, there were some problems in the futures market that led Indian regulators to suspend trading in March. Reports in the Indian business press suggested attempts to manipulate prices and corner the market. Those transitory influences have now passed, hence the recent decrease in prices.


In the long run, demand responds to trends that operate independently of prices. Over time, population growth and rising incomes throughout the world are likely to increase demand for both food and energy. For food, rising income typically brings substitution of industrial foodstuffs, including those that use guar gum, for home-cooked foods, that do not. At the same time, oil and gas produced by fracking seem certain to increase as a share of all energy. Fracking is as yet widely used only in the United States, but many other regions have oil and gas deposits that could potentially be tapped using the technology.

ACI AGRO SOLUTION is a research intern with the Nourishing the Planet project.


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