The next best thing to predicting the future is planning for it, and at TIC Gums, we understand the importance of knowing what to expect.

A case in point: the skyrocketing demand and rising prices for guar gum. Guar gum is widely used as a thickener and stabilizer in baked goods, beverages, and countless other applications.

Unusually high demand from the oil and gas industry created shortages for the food and beverage industry. Guar gum is used in drilling operations and in hydraulic fracturing of oilfields. There was a 200% spike in demand over the past year and prices have increased dramatically.

Thanks to the forward-thinking team of Gum Gurus^®, innovative replacement systems can assist guar users' needs. These new gum systems include Ticaloid^® GE 306, Ticaloid GE 705, Ticaloid GR 8700, and Ticaloid GR 5420.

"Our R&D team focused on several applications with the goal to match, and in many cases, exceed the functionality of guar," says food scientist Dan Grazaitis of TIC Gums. "In fact, our innovative solutions not only deal with the current supply challenge, but we expect many customers will continue to use these new systems long after guar supplies return to normal."

TIC Gums' emphasis is the functional and textural effect gums have in applications instead of the gums themselves. As a result, we are not replacing guar, but working to replicate its water binding, thickening properties, and mouthfeel characteristics.

"Since we are not dependent on any single gum to achieve a desired texture we have a variety of potential solutions. We can leverage many combinations of stabilizers to achieve a particular end goal," Grazaitis explains. The TIC Gums portfolio includes virtually all hydrocolloids, and food scientists like Grazaitis have the applications knowledge and the supply capacity at their disposal to convert many guar gum users to alternate technologies as needed.

One guar replacement option is Ticaloid GE 306 for instant powdered beverages, like lemonade. The blend – which contains some guar – results in a less 'beany' taste and a more appealing mouthfeel than beverages using guar alone. The blend is also cold water-soluble and has comparable viscosity to 100% guar gum.

Another option is Ticaloid GR 5420 for bakery products. Containing no guar gum, this proprietary blend of gums delivers the textural characteristics typically achieved when using guar gum alone. Ticaloid GR 5420 provides equivalent batter viscosity and dough texture. During the bakery product shelf life, key attributes like moisture retention and crumb structure remain without the use of guar gum.

Outcomes like these illustrate what TIC Gums is all about: using creative gum combinations to replace the textural and functional characteristics of single-sourced ingredients. This concentration on the outcome in applications is an industry game-changer and is one of the core beliefs behind the Texture Revolution™. TIC Gums remains a global leader in advanced texture and stabilization solutions for the food industry.

As for this year's guar crop, without a reduction in demand, there will not be enough guar gum supply. No matter the scenario, TIC Gums will be planning for any outcome, mapping the future, and meeting customers' needs today, tomorrow, and beyond.

Looking for a solution? Visit our Guar Gum Replacers & Extenders web page to learn more about which product is right for you.