1. -J. Delince
BSA-11-409

2. Introduction
 The plant is the primary producer but other than this
it is useful to humans in many other ways by giving it’s
secretions, juices and other biochemical compounds.
 The plant mucilages and gums are secreted by the
plant and it is of high industrial importance.
 Here, we are going to see about these biologically
useful compounds in detail.

3. Gums:
 Gums are the adhesive substances of vegetable (plant)
origin.
 They are generally obtained as an exudate from the
barks of trees and shrubs.
 Generally these gums and mucilages are exudated by
plants due to the stressed conditions.
 But, commercially it is made by creating incision in
the bark and stem.
 The production gum by these trees by the process
called as gummosis.

4. Classification of gums:
 They are of two types based on the solubility
gums
Water soluble Water insoluble

5.  Gum arabic- From acacia sps(gum acacia)
 Guar gum- from guar bean.
This guar gum is also called as Guaran that is nothing
but galactomanan (glucose + mannose ).

6. Guar gum
Industrial uses:
 It is used as a binding agent for water
coloring.

7.  It is used in various process of printing and
photography.
 It is used in pyro techniques (fire works)
 It is used as food additive and thickening agent.
Guar gum is used in
 Nursing homes as thickening agent in foods of
patients.
 Explosive agent as a water proofing agent
 In pharmaceutical as a medicine for constipation, and
other stomach problems

8. Mucilages
 They are defined as gelatinous substance containing
polysaccharides and proteins .this is similar to gums.
 They are produced by plants and certain microbes.
 It is chemically defined as polar glycoprotein