The guar bean is principally grown in India, Pakistan, the United States, Australia and Africa.

The viscosity attained is dependent on time, temperature, concentration, pH, rate of agitation and particle size of the powdered gum used.

[citation needed][10] Guar gum shows a clear low shear plateau on the flow curve and is strongly shear-thinning.

It does not show the very high low[clarification needed] shear plateau viscosities seen with more rigid polymer chains such as xanthan gum.

[clarification needed] Guar gum and micellar casein mixtures can be slightly thixotropic if a biphase system forms.

[13] Guar gum is also economical because it has almost eight times the water-thickening ability of other agents (e.g., cornstarch) and only a small quantity is needed for producing sufficient viscosity.

In addition to guar gum's effects on viscosity, its high ability to flow, or deform, gives it favorable rheological[clarification needed] properties.

Fracking entails the pumping of sand-laden fluids into an oil or natural gas reservoir at high pressure and flow rate.

[citation needed] Guar gum retards ice crystal growth by slowing mass transfer across the solid/liquid interface.

[15] Guar gum is a hydrocolloid, hence is useful for making thick pastes without forming a gel, and for keeping water bound in a sauce or emulsion.

Guar gum can be used for cottage cheeses, curds, yoghurt, sauces, soups and frozen desserts.

Oversize particles are either recycled to main ultra fine or reground in a separate regrind plant, according to the viscosity requirement.

Through the heating, grinding, and polishing process, the husk is separated from the endosperm halves and the refined guar split is obtained.

The split manufacturing process yields husk and germ called “guar meal”, widely sold in the international market as cattle feed.

The quality of the food-grade guar gum powder is defined from its particle size, rate of hydration, and microbial content.

Guar use allows for achieving exceptionally high viscosities, which improves the ability of the fracturing liquid to transport proppant.

Guar hydrates fairly rapidly in cold water to give highly viscous pseudoplastic solutions of, generally, greater low-shear viscosity than other hydrocolloids.

The colloidal solids present in guar make fluids more efficient by creating less filter cake.

Derivatization of guar gum leads to subtle changes in properties, such as decreased hydrogen bonding, increased solubility in water-alcohol mixture, and improved electrolyte compatibility.

These changes in properties result in increased use in different fields, like textile printing, explosives, and oil-water fracturing applications.

Guar molecules have a tendency to aggregate during the hydraulic fracturing process, mainly due to intermolecular hydrogen bonding.

The primary form of crosslinking may be due to ionic association between the anionic borate complex and adsorbed cations on the second polymer chain .

The US Food and Drug Administration eventually recalled these due to reports of esophageal blockage from insufficient fluid intake, after one brand alone caused at least 10 users to be hospitalized, and a death.

[24] For this reason, guar gum is no longer approved for use in over-the-counter weight loss drugs in the United States, although this restriction does not apply to supplements.

[26] Some studies have found an allergic sensitivity to guar gum developed in a few individuals working in an industrial environment where airborne concentrations of the substance were present.

[27] In July 2007, the European Commission issued a health warning to its member states after high levels of dioxins were detected in guar gum, which was used as a thickener in small quantities in meat, dairy, dessert and delicatessen products.

The source was traced to guar gum from India that was contaminated with pentachlorophenol (PCP), a pesticide no longer in use.