TIC Gums launch sustainable guar gum substitute to counter price and supply instability

The US based company said its Ticaloid GR 5420 blend, which was announced yesterday, can give the same texture benefits as guar for cake, bread, muffins and other bakery goods, but without supply and price fluctuations.

Harold Nicoll, TIC Gums marketing manager, told BakeryAndSnacks.com: “There are no problems with using guar gum, it is very useful and is found in many food and beverages and other personal care and industrial applications. The challenge is the availability of guar gum.”​

He said that supply chains had been strained because there had been a 200% increased demand for guar gum in the last year due to its applications in oil and gas drilling creating a bottleneck for processing all guar the market demands. This interrupted production and drove prices higher, he said.

Cost and manufacture​

Nicoll said the formula could be incorporated into existing processes.

He added that there was a somewhat higher price for this product, but would not give a cost comparison to guar.

“The benefit is a steady and predictable supply of a high quality ingredient. So it is a good value for our customers,” ​he said.

He said to his knowledge there were no guar gum replacements for bakery on the market.

Quality​

TIC Gums said manufacturers using its texture blend would see similar moisture retention and crumb structure to bakery products made using guar gum.

“This particular blend was designed specifically for products like bread, cake mix, muffins and bagels. The quality is identical to that of guar gum, though the formula contains none,” ​said Nicoll.

The company conducted internal tests where it said it found that Ticaloid GR 5420 produced similar results to guar, including equivalent batter viscosity and dough texture.