TIC Gums Creates Guar Gum Replacement for Bakery Applications

Ticaloid GR 5420 can be used in amounts of two to five ounces per 100 pounds of flour. Ticaloid GR 5420 offers a cost effective alternative to guar gum in bakery applications.

Oct 20 2011 --- As supplies and availability of guar gum continue to be stressed, TIC Gums is introducing a new texture and stabilization formula that will replace guar in bakery products. Ticaloid GR 5420 is a blend of gums that completely replace guar in bakery products like cake, bread, bagels, and muffins. Containing no guar gum, this proprietary blend will deliver the same texture benefits that guar gum alone does, but without the threat of supply interruptions or price instability. The new technology was designed and tested at the Texture Innovation Center located in White Marsh, MD. White Marsh is located north of Baltimore, MD.

Ticaloid GR 5420 can be used in amounts of two to five ounces per 100 pounds of flour. Ticaloid GR 5420 offers a cost effective alternative to guar gum in bakery applications.

The new blend was compared to products that contained no gums, guar gum only, and the new texture blend. The bakery goods tested were: white bread, plain muffins, yellow cake and bagels. Ticaloid GR 5420 performed similarly to the guar gum for all products and better with the products that contained no gums. The tests were based on visual differences, during baking, sensory evaluations, and a ten day period of observation along with texture analyzer results over that same ten day period. During the bakery product shelf life, key attributes like moisture retention and crumb structure remain without the use of guar. Ticaloid GR 5420 also provides equivalent batter viscosity and dough texture.

High in soluble fiber, guar gum is traditionally used in bakery products for moisture retention contributing to the weight and texture. Guar gum keeps bread “smooth” pliable and fresher longer. Guar gum also impacts the appearance of bread, imparting a smoother, more finished look. Moisture keeps the bread pliable but with enough tensile strength for bending and holding sandwiches together, or keeping both peanut butter and jelly contained between the slices. But with availability challenges born of high demand from the oil and gas industry, invention and innovation like this provides alternatives to this important part of the food industry.

There is a bottleneck around the availability of guar gum. The unprecedented increase in guar gum pricing and tight supply continues through the third quarter of 2011 and likely into 2012. TIC Gums provides formulas that are made to match the desired texture in a final product. With experienced scientists, TIC Gums can match if not improve existing textures desired in food products. The type of gum on hand is less important than what the food developer or scientist is trying to achieve in terms of texture and stability.

Food scientists in the Texture Innovation Center at TIC Gums headquarters in White Marsh, MD can match and often improve the existing texture of food products like these. Developers work to find the right blend of gums and other texture agents that will achieve the desired outcome, rather than rely on specific gums. This is changing the way the food industry approaches texture. This advanced approach to using and manipulating texture is led by the same skilled practitioners who invented the language of texture in the “Texture Revolution Lexicon.” This word list is an inventory of terms with definitions needed for articulating texture in food and beverages.