xanthan gum
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What is xanthan gum?
Xanthan gum is a water-soluble polysaccharide made by fermenting sugar (often from corn, wheat, or soy) with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. The resulting gum is processed into a fine white powder or granules.
As a hydrocolloid, it disperses in water, forming a gel. It is commonly used as a food additive for its properties as an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener. It can be found in canned and shelf-stable foods like soups, sauces, and salad dressings. It also appears in certain medications and personal care products, such as makeup, lotions, and toothpaste.
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Where does xanthan gum come from?
Xanthan gum is a water-soluble polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. X. campestris is a plant pathogen that causes diseases such as black rot in brassica crops like cauliflower and cabbage.
To produce xanthan gum, X. campestris ferments sugar, usually from corn, wheat, or soy. The resulting gum undergoes pasteurization, drying, and milling to create a fine white powder or granules. As a hydrocolloid, it disperses in water and forms a gel.
Xanthan gum was discovered in the early 1960s by Allene R. Jeanes and her team while working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
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Why is xanthan gum used in food?
Xanthan gum is a water-soluble polysaccharide produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. It is a common food additive valued as an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener. Unlike some thickening agents, xanthan gum doesn't need heat to thicken; it retains its properties when cooled and doesn't affect flavor, making it suitable for canned goods and shelf-stable items like soups and salad dressings.
As an emulsifier, xanthan gum stabilizes viscosity, prevents clumping, and ensures smooth pouring of products like sauces. It is also a gelling agent in products such as jams and contributes to the creamy texture in dairy products and ice cream by inhibiting water crystal formation. Additionally, xanthan gum is used in gluten-free foods to mimic the properties of gluten, helping retain moisture in baked goods.
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How does xanthan gum help improve the texture of products?
Xanthan gum, a water-soluble polysaccharide from the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris, is a common food additive valued for improving the texture and stability of various products. It functions as an emulsifier, stabilizer, and thickener in food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Xanthan gum's thickening ability does not require heat and it retains its properties when cooled, making it suitable for canned and shelf-stable items. It keeps particles from clumping, stabilizes emulsions, and ensures consistent flow in pourable foods. In gluten-free products, xanthan gum mimics gluten's elasticity and lift and helps retain moisture in baked goods. It also creates a smooth mouthfeel in dairy products by preventing water crystal formation.
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What are the main chemical properties of xanthan gum?
Xanthan gum is a water-soluble polysaccharide made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris. It is known for its thickening and stabilizing properties in various applications.
Xanthan gum doesn't need heat to thicken, retains properties when cooled, and is tasteless, making it useful for canned and shelf-stable foods. It acts as an emulsifier, preventing clumping and ensuring consistent flow in products like salad dressings. It can also act as a gelling agent in products such as jams and jellies.
In gluten-free foods, xanthan gum replicates the properties of gluten. It also serves as a suspension agent in medications and provides consistency in personal care items like toothpaste.
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Are there other uses for xanthan gum outside of food products?
Xanthan gum is a versatile polysaccharide best known as a food additive used as an emulsifier, stabilizer, or thickener. Beyond the food industry, xanthan gum is used in other applications because of its thickening and stabilizing properties.
Xanthan gum is a suspension agent in some medications, like antibiotics, and is also found in personal care products, such as makeup, lotions, and shampoos. In toothpaste, it provides consistency, allowing the gel to be squeezed from the tube and cling to the toothbrush. The petroleum industry uses xanthan gum in drilling mud to facilitate the removal of drill cuttings during hydraulic fracturing. It can also be found in wallpaper paste as a glue and as a stabilizer in paint.
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xanthan gum, water-soluble polysaccharide compound that is produced by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris and is best known for its use as a food additive, typically as an emulsifier, a stabilizer, or a thickener. Xanthan gum often is used in conjunction with other thickening agents to improve the stability and texture of food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.
Production
Xanthan gum is derived naturally from X. campestris, which is a plant pathogen, being responsible for diseases such as black rot in brassica crops (e.g., cauliflower and cabbage). The gum is produced when sugar, commonly from corn, wheat, or soy, is fermented by X. campestris. The gum is then processed, through pasteurization, drying, and milling, to create a fine white powder or, occasionally, granules. The final product, a kind of hydrocolloid, disperses and creates a gel when added to water.
Applications
Xanthan gum thickens without the application of heat, which distinguishes it from certain other thickening agents, such as cornstarch and gelatin. It also retains its thickening properties when cooled, and it is tastelessāfeatures that make it especially useful for canned foods and shelf-stable foods like soups, sauces, gravies, and salad dressings. Xanthan gum commonly is used with other thickening agents, including guar gum, locust bean gum, carrageenan, gelatin, agar, and pectin. It may also be paired with starches, such as potato starch, which amplifies its thickening and gelling effects.
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As an emusifier, xanthan gum affects viscosity by aiding emulsification and keeps particles from clumping and settling. It also allows pourable foods, such as salad dressings and barbecue sauces, to flow consistently from their containers. A very small percentage of xanthan gumāas little as 0.1 percent by weight of the finished productāis needed to produce thickening and emulsifying effects.
The application of xanthan gum as a gelling agent can be seen in jams and jellies. It is also common in dairy products and ice cream, where it contributes to texture, creating a smooth and creamy mouthfeel by helping to inhibit the formation of water crystals. Xanthan gum often is used as an ingredient in gluten-free food products, where it acts as an emulsifier and a binder to replicate the lift, tenderness, and elasticity of gluten in doughs. Because it attracts water, it also helps baked goods retain moisture.
Other applications of xanthan gum include use as a suspension agent in certain medications, such as antibiotics, to ensure proper dosing. It is also found in personal care products, such as makeup, lotions, and shampoos. It is slowly replacing carboxymethyl cellulose as a more affordable primary hydrocolloid in toothpaste, where it provides consistency so that the gel can be squeezed from the tube in a solid strand; it also enables the gel to cling to the toothbrush while being spread on teeth. In the petroleum industry, xanthan gum is added to mud during the hydraulic fracturing process. When added to drilling mud, because of its thickening properties, xanthan gum facilitates the movement of drill cuttingsāpieces of rocks and other solid materials that are removed from boreholes when drilling wellsāup to the surface for disposal. Xanthan gum is also used in some industrial products, including use as a glue in wallpaper paste and as a stabilizer in paint.
Health effects
The consumption of xanthan gum can result in minor digestive issues in some individuals. The most common digestive problems encountered include stomachache, bloating, and increased bowel movements. Individuals with severe allergies to corn, from which the bulk of xanthan gum is derived in the United States, may experience a reaction, with very trace amounts of the original sugar substance sometimes remaining in the finished product. In general, however, xanthan gum is well tolerated by most individuals.
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Research has suggested that in some instances xanthan gum may have health benefits. For example, by increasing the viscosity of fluids in the stomach, it may slow the absorption of sugar in the digestive tract. By limiting the rate at which sugar enters the bloodstream, xanthan gum potentially helps moderate blood sugar levels. The laxative effect of xanthan gum may also be beneficial in some persons.
Historical development
Xanthan gum was discovered in the early 1960s by American carbohydrate chemist Allene R. Jeanes and her research team at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Jeanes and her colleagues discovered the substance while searching for a microbial gum that could be used in food and industrial products but thatāunlike other plant gums at the timeācould be produced domestically. Jeanes and her team were recognized with the USDA Superior Service Award in 1968 for their discovery of xanthan gum.
Xanthan gum was first marketed under the name Kelzan, an industrial-grade version of the product. Xanthan gum was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1968 for use in food production and subsequently was accepted as a safe food additive in many other countries. It became widely available for both home and commercial use, with its relatively long shelf life and ease of use.