Guar

A biochemist and an agronomist present the known facts for the first time in one volume about guar, an Old World legume. Guar is now grown in large quantities to produce guar gum, an important industrial water-soluble hydrocolloid. Guar seed has a high content of vegetable protein, and with genetic improvement, it could provide a valuable source of protein in the human diet; however, more research is required to make use of guar seed economically feasible. The guar plant has been cultivated in India and Pakistan for generations, and guar gum has been used in manufacturing in the United States and abroad since World War II. Today, guar gum is used as a friction-reducing agent in oil well drilling and mining operation; as a binding agent in the manufacturing of explosives; reconstituted tobacco, and sausage products; and as a thickener and stabilizer in cosmetics, processed cheese products, baked goods and icings, dressings and sauces, beverages, and canned meat products.