Application Note - Thermal Degradation of Guar Gum

Guar gum is often used as a thickening, emulsifying, and stabilizing agent in food products like ice cream, salad dressing, and sauces, as well as in the petrochemical and other nonfood industries in applications requiring high viscosities. Guar gum can be partially hydrolyzed to lower molecular weight saccharides under strong acidic and higher temperature conditions, affecting its thickening and stabilizing properties. This degradation process occurs over multiple hours and can be monitored by measuring the corresponding decrease in viscosity over time.

In this application note, we measure viscosities of guar gum solutions with varying pH and temperature over time to understand how these factors affect the thermal degradation process. The results have implications in applications involving acidic and elevated temperature conditions.

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