Guar Gum: What is it, Uses and Recipes

Today, we are going to talk about a product that is commonly used to cook healthy recipes: Guar Gum

What is Guar Gum and what is it used for?

It is a polysaccharide from the Cyamopsis tetragonoloba plant seeds, which belongs to the leguminous family

The plant is cultivated in India and Pakistan both for human and animal consumption. Moreover, it is also cultivated in the southeastern United States.

Above all, the food industry uses it because it is an important source of fiber and effective natural thickener. It is ideal to add a more juicy texture to food, to replace gluten and as a stabilizer for ice creams and sauces.

Quite frequently, it is used in yogurts, juices, refreshments, gelatin, ice creams and sauces, to name a few

Properties and Benefits of Guar Gum

Its main property is to increase the viscosity of the gastrointestinal content, delaying the absorption of nutrients in the small intestine

Such nutrients are trapped in the matrix of the gum, which results in a slower absorption rate of those substances that tend to be quickly absorbed, like glucose. Moreover, it also affects those that already have a slow absorption rate, such as fat and some micronutrients.

Therefore, guar gum is an effective ingredient to lower the postpandrial hyperglycemia. In other words, this is an increase of glucose after eating a meal, of body weight and blood cholesterol levels in people who suffer diabetes or obesity.

Moreover, guar gum has many properties for our organism due to the fact that it is a natural fiber. For example:

Uses of Guar Gum in the Kitchen

This product is an ideal hydration agent in the formation of viscous colloidal solutions

Bakery products

We can add guar gum to different types of dough during the kneading process. In fact, this will enhance the performance, provide more elasticity and a smoother texture.

Apart from better properties when it comes to its handling and conservation

Meat

Guar gum is a thickener and lubricant for a wide range of meat products. For example, sausages, canned animal food and many others.

Drinks

In addition, It is used to thicken different drinks and even sugar-free dietary drinks.

It is quite useful when it comes to stabilizing chocolate syrups and chocolate blend powder

Sauces and seasonings

The thickening properties of guar gum result in a unique ingredient that preserves the aspect of seasonings, barbecue sauces, etc.

How to use Guar Gum?

Dough of bread, biscuits, bakery

It is advisable to add between ½ and 1 teaspoon per cup of flour used.

Liquid products

Usually, it takes between 1 and 3 teaspoons per liter of hot liquid or 1 and 2 teaspoons per liter of cold liquid.

Recipes with Guar Gum

Guar gum can be used in cold and hot recipes. In fact, it is quite useful for sauces, drinks, ice creams, bread and many more recipes.

Vegan Mayonnaise with Guar Gum

Let's make a classic mayonnaise sauce but also suitable for vegans.

Recipe Tips: Vegan Mayonnaise with Guar Gum

• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 12 minutes
• Portion size: 1 Spoonful
• Number of servings: 20
• Cooking style: American

Ingredients

• 1/2 glass of avocado oil
• 1/4 glass of apple vinegar
• One tablespoon of Guar Gum by FoodSeries
• A pinch of Himalayan pink salt (optional)
• A teaspoon of thyme (optional)
• 1/2 glass of sugar-free almond drink

Nutritional Information per serving
Calories:	84kcal
Fat:	9.3g
of which saturates:	1.12g
Carbohydrates:	0.05g
of which sugars:	0.001g
Fiber:	0.01g
Proteins:	0.05g
Salt:	0.25g

How to make: Vegan Mayonnaise with Guar Gum

1. Use a blender to mix the guar gum with the milk until you get a thick mass.
2. Then, add the salt, vinegar and thyme. Once again, blend while you add the oil little by little.
3. Afterwards, pour the sauce on a hermetic recipient and store in the fridge for seven days at most.

Coffee Ice Cream

Who could say no to this delicious coffee ice cream?

Recipe Tips: Coffee Ice Cream

• Preparation time: 5 minutes
• Cooking time: 1 hour
• Portion size: 1 Ball
• Number of servings: 6
• Cooking style: American

Ingredients

• 4 small cups of coffee
• Whole milk
• 75g of sugar
• 25g of Dextrose by RawSeries
• 3g of soy lecithin
• 2.5g of guar gum by FoodSeries

Nutritional Information per serving
Calories:	75kcal
Fat:	0.1g
of which saturates:	0.01g
Carbohydrates:	18.6g
of which sugars:	17.2g
Fiber:	0.1g
Proteins:	0.1g
Salt:	0.2g

How to make: Coffee Ice Cream

1. Heat the coffee for 40 minutes at low heat without boiling it.
2. Then, let it cool before putting it in a measuring glass. Add it to the whole milk until you get 300ml total.
3. Put the content of the measuring glass in a blender and add the sugar, dextrose, lecithin and guar gum.
4. Mix everything for a minute, obtaining a homogeneous blend.
5. After that, pour the blend in an ice cream mold.
6. Let it cool between 30 or 35 minutes.

Give it a try and tell us what you think!

Bibliography

1. El gran libro de la salud. Medicina natural, alimentación y forma física. Océano
2. El poder del alimento, las claves para obtener salud, energía y longevidad. Boris Chamás
3. Goma Guar bio. Para recetas sin gluten.
4. Come comida real, una guía para transformar tu alimentación y tu salud. Carlos Ríos
5. Inteligencia Nutricional. Dra Magda Carlas

Related Entries:

• Xanthan Gum
• Vegan Ice Cream with Red Fruits