One Ingredient, Multiple Grades
Professional tara gum suppliers offer their product in multiple viscosity grades to serve different application requirements. The most common grading system uses three tiers: HV (High Viscosity) with a minimum viscosity of 5,000 cps at 1% concentration, MV (Medium Viscosity) for intermediate applications, and LV (Low Viscosity) for applications where lower viscosity contribution is desired.
Selecting the Right Grade
The choice of grade depends on your application's viscosity requirement, your usage level, and the contribution of other thickening ingredients in your formulation. HV grade is appropriate when maximum thickening per unit weight is desired — it allows the lowest usage levels and provides the strongest viscosity contribution. This grade is typically chosen for applications like ice cream, frozen desserts, and concentrated sauces where high viscosity is needed at very low inclusion rates.
MV grade provides a balance between thickening power and processing ease. It is suitable for general-purpose applications including dairy products, bakery, beverages, and standard sauce formulations. LV grade is used when tara gum's other functional properties — synergistic gelling, water binding, emulsification — are more important than viscosity building, or when the formulation already contains other thickening agents and additional viscosity contribution from the tara gum would be excessive.
Particle Size Considerations
Viscosity grade is related to but distinct from particle size (mesh). Standard grading is 100% passing 100 mesh, while finer grinds (175 mesh) are available. Finer particles hydrate faster but may be more prone to lumping if not properly dispersed. For applications requiring rapid hydration — such as the ketchup formulation using 175-mesh tara gum at 0.21% — the finer grind ensures smooth, efficient incorporation.