How to Start a Guar Gum Manufacturing Business in 8 Steps

Do you want to start a guar gum manufacturing business? If so, find here a guar gum manufacturing business with uses, processes, and much more.

Guar gum, locally called guaran, is a galactomannan. It is basically the ground endosperm of guar beans. The guar seeds are dehusked, milled, and screened to obtain the guar gum. Guar gum is typically produced as a free-flowing, off-white powder. It is a natural food thickener, similar to locust bean gum, cornstarch, or tapioca flour.

This kind of gum is said to have significantly more thickening ability than cornstarch, at a fraction of the cost. This has made it a popular additive in products such as puddings and ice creams. Previously it was also an ingredient in non-prescription diet pills designed to create a sense of fullness.

Suggested Read: Top Small-Scale Manufacturing Business Ideas

8 Steps to Start a Guar Gum Manufacturing Business

1. Market Research and Business Plan

Start by conducting comprehensive market research to understand the demand for guar gum in your target market. Also, identify potential customers, competitors, and trends in the industry.

Based on the market information received, develop a detailed business plan that outlines your business goals, target market, pricing strategy, marketing plan, financial projections, and funding requirements.

2. Legal Requirements

Register your guar gum manufacturing business as a legal entity, such as a sole proprietorship, partnership, LLC, or corporation, depending on your location and preferences.

In addition, check with local and national regulatory authorities to determine the permits and licenses required for food processing and manufacturing businesses.

Understand the industry quality standards and regulations related to food safety and manufacturing processes. Ensure that your facility and processes comply with these standards.

3. Production and Trade of Guar Gum Manufacturing

The guar bean is mainly grown in India, Pakistan, the US, China, Australia, and Africa. India produces 2.5 – 3.5 million tons of guar annually, making it the largest producer with about 80% of world production.

In India, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Haryana are the main producing regions, and Jodhpur, Sri Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh in Rajasthan are the major Guar trading markets. Hanumangarh – Ganganagar is the main production area for best quality guar beans, the so-called “Fast-Hydrating Guar”.

The United States has produced 4,600 to 14,000 tons of guar over the last 5 years. As many as 50,000 acres of guar have been grown in West Texas over the last 50 years.

4. Guar Gum Manufacturing Process

Guar Gum powder is manufactured by mechanical extraction from the guar seed endosperm which contains about 80% Galactomannan (gum).

The gum is made from the endosperms of the seed, recovered by hulling the seed and breaking away the endosperms, known as ‘splits’.

The product is traded in the form of splits or powder and, its value is judged by its viscosity, measured in centipoises units abbreviated to ‘cp’. Typically, high-viscosity guar has a higher market price.

Guar gum is obtained by an automatic mechanical process in which first the seed is split into two halves and the hull and the germ are mechanically scraped off to obtain endosperm. Refined guar splits are obtained by splitting the guar seed into two halves and dehusking and polishing the grains.

These splits are then pulverized and tailor-made for usage in different industries. The endosperm thus obtained is further purified and grounded into a powder of required granulation and viscosity.

After pulverization, sieving is done to get the required mesh.

The sieved gum is then passed through blenders to make it homogenous. State-of-the-art plants are capable of producing several grades of guar gum ranging from very low to very high viscosity and from coarse to fine granulation.

5. Industrial Applications of Guar Gum

• Textile industry – sizing, finishing, and printing
• Paper industry – improved sheet formation, folding, and denser surface for printing
• Explosives industry – as waterproofing agent mixed with ammonium nitrate, nitroglycerin, etc.
• Pharmaceutical industry – as a binder or as disintegrator in tablets; the main ingredient in some bulk-forming laxatives
• Cosmetics and toiletries industries – thickener in toothpaste, conditioner in shampoos (usually in a chemically modified version)
• Hydraulic fracturing Shale oil and gas extraction industries consume about 90% of guar gum produced in India and Pakistan.
• Mining
• Hydroseeding – formation of seed-bearing “guar tack”
• Medical institutions, especially nursing homes – used to thicken liquids and foods for patients with dysphagia
• Fire retardant industry – as a thickener in Phos-Chek
• Nanoparticles industry – to produce silver or gold nanoparticles, or develop innovative medicine delivery mechanisms for drugs in the pharmaceutical industry.

6. Machinery Required for Guar Dehusking Plant

Some of the basic machinery for guar gum manufacturing are Cleaning, Splitter, Elevator, Pneumatic Conveyor, Centrifugal, Roaster, Dehusking, Cooler, Cone Mixer, Bagging, Rotary Siever, Ultrafine Pulverizer, Water Tank, Flaker Machine, pneumatic dryer line, conical blender. Guar Dehusk Split Powder Plant.

7. Cost of Guar Gum Manufacturing Plant

The investment will depend largely on the production output and scale of operation. The machinery cost will be around Rs. 1.25 Crore with a production capacity of up to 2 tons.

Read: How to Price a Product 

However, on a rough estimate, the cost to start a guar gum manufacturing plant along with land manpower, and other expenses will be around Rs. 5 Crore in Indian RupeesMarketing and Sales

8. Have a Marketing Plan

It is critical to develop a marketing strategy to promote your guar gum products. You need to reach out to potential customers in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Also, attend industry trade shows and exhibitions to showcase your products.

There is a good scope for new entrepreneurs to start a small-scale guar gum manufacturing business and make decent profits as the application of guar gum is been accepted by more and more industries.