In the real life situation, the guar plant products are mistaken with other plant exudates like rubber, resins and latexes. Gums are substances that dissolve in water to develop colloidal solutions or dispersions. They are naturally occurring substances and carbohydrate in nature. This made them good food products before other uses were discovered, such as in the pharmaceutical industry.
Production and Processing of Guar Gum Powder
The guar Gum is naturally occurring gum, from the Cyamopsis tetragonolobus of C. Psoraloides plant. It is extracted through a multistage process, the level of refining being dependent on the desired final product. Dried seeds are crushed and the endosperm is separated, from here further processing is done to end up with the gum powder.
Important Chemical Characteristics of Guar Gum
The chemical composition of the guar gum comprises of protein 4%, phosphorus 0.06%, Ash 1.07%, water-soluble polysaccharides 86.50%, water insoluble fraction 7.75% and the alcohol soluble fraction 1.5%. The main difference between the guar gum and the other plant gums and mucilage is the absence of the uronic acid, which is generally present in the other gums. The chemical structure is the galactomannan unit composed of 36.6% D-galactose anhydride and 63.1% mannose anhydride.
The lipids, carbohydrates and proteins are natural polymeric materials that have wide usage in drugs manufacturing. They are used as excipients as well as agents for controlling the rate of release of the drugs. The various applications of the guar gum in the pharmaceutical industry due to its ability to form viscous dispersions or gel in the aqueous media. It is also useful because of its non-toxic, bio degradable, cost effective and renewable supply sources of the gum. It has a special place in the area of drug delivery in the body. The various uses in the pharmaceutical industry include;
- In tablet manufacturing, it acts as a binder and disintegrating agent and in micro-encapsulation of drugs. Here it is used in suspension formulations and anti acid formulations.
- Useful in controlled drug delivery systems as well as tablet binding aid;
- It is used in formulations like inhalations, Injectable medications, beads, micro particles and solid monolithic films. This usage in delivery systems is due to the polymeric nature of the guar gum. The functional groups are effective for conjugating it with different molecular weight polymers resulting in molecules with the desired chemical physical properties.
- Guar gum is an important non-caloric source of soluble dietary fibre. The fibre is important in a healthy diet as it is useful in clearing and cleansing the intestinal system. It also keeps the intestines functioning properly and in management of certain disorders.
- The gum is also effective in the regulation of blood sugar, or diabetes. This is due to its ability to reduce the postprandial plasma glucose, insulin and triglyceride concentrations, thus able to control the disease.
Conclusion
The guar gum powder is widely used in pharmaceutical drugs making as a gelling agent, viscosifying or thickening agent, stabilization of active ingredients, emulsification agent, water retention and water phase control, process aid additive and as a modifier of flow characteristics in a solution.