Dynamic and shear stress rheological properties of guar galactomannans and its hydrolyzed derivatives

Guar galactomannan from seed of Cyamopsis tetragonolobus was hydrolyzed using acid (HCl), base [Ba(OH)2] and enzyme (mannanase) method to obtain depolymerized substances with possible functional applications as soluble dietary fiber. Rheological behavior of crude, purified, and depolymerized guar gum solutions was studied at 25 °C, using shear stress and dynamic oscillatory measurements, performed with controlled stress rheometer Bohlin CVO (Malvern Instruments) fitted with cone-and-plate geometry. The various guar gums solutions with different viscosities exhibited shear-thinning behavior at high shear rate and Newtonian behavior at low shear rate. At low shear rate, sigma crude guar gum (SCGG), crude guar gum (CGG), acid hydrolyzed guar gum (AHGG) and enzyme hydrolyzed guar gum (EHGG) exhibited viscosities of 18.59, 1.346, 0.149 and 0.022 Pas, respectively. Oscillatory experiments (G", G') of gums solutions showed typical behavior of weak viscoelastic gel. All investigated guar gums were further used for glucose bio-accessibility using a novel in vitro small intestinal model (SIM). All gums solutions resulted in 20% reduction in simulated glucose absorption, indicating a non-significant functionality difference between various guar gums. So, it can be concluded that hydrolyzed guar gums without disturbing their rheological and physiological behavior would be useful for incorporation in various food products as soluble dietary fiber.