Guar gum is extracted from the guar bean. The guar seeds are
de-husked, milled and screened to obtain the guar gum . It is typically produced as a free flowing, pale, off-white colored, coarse to fine ground powder.
It is a member of a group of products known as starches, gums, and emulsifiers.
Guar gum is economical because it has almost 8 times the water-thickening potency of cornstarch - only a very small quantity is needed for producing sufficient thickening. Thus it can be used to prevent oil droplets from separating out in salad dressing or to prevent solid particles from settling out.
Guar gum retards ice crystal growth in food like ice cream and sherbet. It shows good stability during freeze-thaw cycles.
The largest market for guar gum is in the food industry. It is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in the US .
In baked goods, guar increases dough yield, gives greater elasticity, and improves texture and shelf life.
In pastry fillings, guar prevents "weeping" of the filling, thus keeping the pastry crisp.
It is primarily used in recipes that use non-gluten types of whole grain flours. Because these flours allow the escape of gas released during leavening, guar gum is needed to replace the elasticity provided by gluten, allowing the baked goods to rise as they would with gluten flours.
In dairy foods guar thickens milk, yogurt, kefir, and liquid cheese products; helps maintain uniformness of ice creams and sherbets and perserves the "mouth" or smooth texture of frozen desserts.
In dressing and sauces guar improves the "mouth" and appearance of salad dressings, barbecue sauces, relishes, ketchups and others by maintaining the blend of ingredients.
And it is also used in dry soups, sweet desserts, canned fish in sauce, frozen food items and animal feed to maintain the stability, mouth, and as a thickener.
No nutritional information is available at this time.
Guar gum creates a spongier texture (like in cakes) than
xanthan gum which produces a stretchier texture (best for breads).
Both are interchangeable at the rate of 1 teaspoon guar gum for 3/4 teaspoon
xanthan gum.
RECIPE
GLUTEN FREE PANCAKES:
Ingredients:
1/4 c oil*
1/4 c. sugar* or xylitol*
(for sugar free)
1 egg
3/4 c cornstarch*
3/4 c potato starch*
1/4 t guar gum*
1/2 t salt*
1 1/4 t. baking powder*
3/4 c. milk
Combine all ingredients except Milk. Slowly add in
milk, stirring until all lumps removed. Batter will be thin.
Pour onto hot greased griddle in desired size. Turn when lightly
browned. When other side is brown, remove and serve. *These items are available from
www.barryfarm.com
