XANTHAN GUM

Xanthan gum is a polysaccaride produced by Xanthomonas campestris. Xanthomonas campestris is a bacteria responsible for causing black rot to form on broccoli, cauliflower and other leafy vegetables. The bacteria form a slimy substance which acts as a natural stabilizer or thickener. The United States Department of Agriculture ran a number of experiments involving bacteria and various sugars to develop a new thickening agent similar to corn starch or guar gum. When Xanthomonas campestris was combined with corn sugar, the result was a colorless slime called xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is considered a polysaccharide in scientific circles, because it is a long chain of three different forms of sugar. What's important to know is that all three of these natural sugars are present in corn sugar, a derivative of the more familiar corn syrup. The Xanthomonas campestris bacteria literally eat a supply of this corn sugar under controlled conditions, and the digestion process converts the individual sugars into a single substance with properties similar to cornstarch

Xanthan gum is vegetarian

One of the most remarkable properties of xanthan gum is its capability of producing a large increase in the viscosity of a liquid by adding a very small quantity of gum, on the order of one percent.

In most foods, it is used at 0.5%, or even as low as 0.05%.

The viscosity of xanthan gum solutions decreases with higher shear rates; this is called pseudoplasticity.

Foods need high viscosity at low shear rates to be stable but, when consumed, they must not seem thick and heavy in the mouth. Due to the pseudoplastic properties of xanthan gum, it can seem thin in the mouth (fairly high rates of shear) but still have good stabilization properties.

Unlike other gums, it is very stable under a wide range of temperatures and pH, and is widely accepted as a safe food additive world wide

Xanthan gum is used as stabiliser, emulsifier,lubricating agent, thickening agent.

The other uses of Xanthan Gum are:

1. In foods, xanthan gum is most often found in salad dressings and sauces. It helps to stabilize the colloidal oil and solid materials found in these products.

2. Also used in frozen foods and beverages, xanthan gum creates the pleasant texture in many ice creams.

3. Xanthan gum prevents ice crystals from forming in ice creams, and also provides a 'fat feel' in low or no-fat dairy products.

4. Toothpaste often contains xanthan gum, where it serves as a binder to keep the product uniform.

5. Cosmetic manufacturers add a very small amount of xanthan gum to their cream-based products in order to keep the individual ingredients from separating.

6. Xanthan gum is also used in gluten-free baking. Since the gluten (found in wheat) must be omitted, xanthan gum is used to give the dough or batter a "stickiness" that would otherwise be achieved with the gluten.

7. Oil companies often use water as a lubricant for oil well pumps, but regular water is not very thick. A natural thickener such as guar gum or xanthan gum can be added to the water in order to increase its viscosity, or thickness. (You could think of this as turning tap water into 10W-40 motor oil). The thickened water keeps the drill parts lubricated and displaces more of the natural oil found in the deposit area.

Xanthan gum is often used whenever a gel-like quality is sought.

Those who suffer from gluten allergies should look for xanthan gum as an ingredient on the label.

Xanthan gum is capable of synergistic interactions with galactomannans and glucomannans