guar gum
1
6.1
- noun
- /ɡwɑr ɡʌm/
- Specialized
:
goma guar
- Others, like sodium chloride (table salt) and guar gum (a common food thickener derived from beans), are generally benign.
Examples
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Chefs often use guar gum as a thickening agent in sauces and soups to improve texture.
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The polysaccharide in guar gum is apparently one of the kinds that forms a firm gel with water.
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Guar gum is apparently a polysaccharide derived from a tropical bean.
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I believe the recipe uses flax meal as the glue, so you can try substituting guar gum as your first experiment.
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You might find guar gum listed among the ingredients in gluten-free baked goods because it helps provide structure.
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For those looking to add fiber to their diet, guar gum is often recommended due to its soluble fiber content.
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'guar' names the plant and 'gum' denotes a viscous/thickening substance, so 'guar gum' straightforwardly denotes the viscous product obtained from the guar plant used as a thickener. This noun+noun naming pattern is common and predictable, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words can infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Guar gum is the sticky powder made from the seeds of the guar plant, and it is called gum because it becomes thick and sticky when wet. When mixed with water it turns into a thick, sticky paste that holds things together, so it's used to 'thicken' foods and control texture in products like yogurt and paper.