New gum blend could offer relief for instant beverage makers as guar prices hit new highs

03-Oct-2011 - Last updated on 04-Oct-2011 at 14:37 GMT

Guar gum is frequently used in instant powdered lemonade

A proprietary blend of gums that can replace straight guar gum in instant powdered beverages and offer a cleaner taste profile could provide some relief for firms reeling from rocketing guar prices, according to TIC Gums.

Guar gum is frequently used in products such as instant powdered lemonade so the ”taste … will remain on the palate longer, resulting in a more satisfying beverage”, marketing manager Harold Nicoll told FoodNavigator-USA.

“Instant beverages that lack texture are watery, thin and not as appealing.”

However, soaring prices had prompted many firms to seek alternatives, he said.

Comparable viscosity to 100% guar

Maryland-based TIC Gums had responded to the challenge with a proprietary blend of gums enabling firms to “significantly reduce the overall use of guar gum” in instant beverages and produce end products with a cleaner flavor profile, less ‘beany’ taste and a more appealing mouthfeel than beverages using guar alone, said Nicoll.

“It does contain some guar, but far less than what is traditional.”

The texture of beverages made using Ticaloid GE 306 was “thick up front but cleared from the mouth quickly. The low thickness made it easy to swallow with slightly slower mouth clearing, allowing the flavors to linger in the mouth longer”, added the firm.

“The blend, still containing reduced levels of guar, is cold water soluble and has comparable viscosity to 100% guar gum. It also provides a clean flavor profile and improved mouth feel over guar gum. Typical usage level is 0.02-0.15%.”

$2.50/lb and rising …

Guar gum, which is derived from the guar plant Cyamopsis tetragonoloba, is widely used as a thickener and stabilizer in scores of products from ice-cream to sauces, baked goods and lemonade. However, prices have risen dramatically in recent months as demand for the gum – which is also used in hydraulic fracturing in oilfields – has outstripped supply.

Prices, which until recently have rarely crept over $0.90/lb, are now well over $2.50/lb and continue to increase, which has prompted many firms to seek alternatives, said Nicoll.

“Xanthan is a good thickener, but is more expensive. CMC [Carboxymethylcellulose]is also a good thickener. The main thing to have in mind when choosing texture agents is the management of the overall sensory process. What are the textural attributes a developer wants in the end product? Start there and engineer texture into the product early.”

He added:“You could swap guar directly for CMC if needed. The reason for not doing a direct replacement is the loss in mouth feel. Every gum has a separate effect on the mouth feel. The Ticaloid GE 306 was designed to reduce usage of guar while maintaining same texture attributes in the finished beverage.”

‘Sudden and significant’ increase in demand

Demand for guar gum was up more than 200% compared with 2010 while tight availability would continue in the immediate future, predicted TIC Gums president Gregory Andon.

“The guar gum supply challenge in 2011 was shaped by both raw material availability and the industry’s production capacity to manage such a sudden and significant increase in demand.

“There is a bottleneck around the overall guar industry’s manufacturing capacity, which will remain a challenge no matter what happens to the availability of guar seeds. The bottom line is that without a reduction in demand, 2012 supply limits and historically high prices are still expected.”