Guar gum is useful as a thickening agent for water and as a reagent for adsorption and hydrogen bonding with mineral and cellulosic surfaces. It is an edible carbohydrate polymer.

From Guar plant‘s (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus) endosperm Guar Gum is derivative. Guar is a legume (a plant of pea family) crop grows best in sandy soils and needs moderate, flashing rainfall with lots of sunshine. Guar gum is found in the seeds of two annual leguminous plants (Cyamopsis tetragonolobus and psoralioides).

It is non-ionic, free flowing, low pale white colored, coarse to fine grounded powder and is water-soluble hydrocolloids.

The guar gum is a polysaccharide which in water gives hexose sugar, mannose and galactose. These hexose sugars are soluble both in cold and hot water but it is insoluble in most of the organic solvents. In water it gives high viscosity even used small quantity. Strong acids cause hydrolysis and loss of viscosity; alkalies in strong concentration also tend to reduce the viscosity. Adding borax solution will form a gelatinous mass. Guar gum is compatible with starch, alginate, agar etc

Guar gum is used as a thickener and emulsifier in commercial food processing. It has almost 8 times the thickening power as corn starch, and is used in dressings, sauces, milk products, and baking mixes. It is also used in paper manufacturing, textiles, printing, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.