Xanthan Gum is manufactured from a bacterial coat of XanthomonasCampestris bacterium. This bacterial coat is used for fermentation of glucose, sucrose or lactose for a particular period and then the polysaccharide is precipitated from a growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried and ground into fine powder. It is then converted into gum form by adding suitable liquid medium.
a food thickening agent such as for salad dressings and sauces and also as a stabilizer in cosmetic products to prevent ingredient from separating. Xanthan gum is also used in frozen foods, beverages, spices, ice creams, toothpaste, gluten-free baking. Xanthan Gum is used in OIL DRILLING for thickening drilling mud. Oil well drilling grade of Xanthan Gum is also very popular in Oil Industry. Xanthan gum is used in COSMETICS Industry to prepare water gels generally in conjunction with Bentonite clays.
Properties of Xanthan Gum:
- Xanthan gum is a viscose xanthan gel that is an effective thickening vegetable gum for increasing thickness in various cooking uses.
- Any kind shear of force, like shaking, mixing or blending results in lesser viscosity. But once the effect of the forces is no more, it gets back to thick xanthan gel or xanthan gum form.
- It has binding forces that keep the ingredients of the foods held together.
- It is gluten free emulsifying agent.
- It is not easily affected by the changes in temperature.
- It also has skin hydrating properties.
Uses of Xanthan Gum:
With its thickening and stabilizing properties, xanthan is a popularly used substance. It is a heavily used gum for the industrial uses in the food industry. Its thickening and binding qualities make it a very useful cooking aid food additive in bakery products and dairy uses. Some of the common uses of the xanthan gum is in ice creams, salad dressings, and gluten free breads. Let’s see the primary xanthan gum uses across the food and other industries.
- Dairy products like salad dressings & milk based sauces make use of xanthan gum.
- Xanthan gum acts as substitute for wheat and other cereals used for making bread that is gluten free.
- Xanthan gum use is not just for industrial uses, as a thickener is also used for enhanced viscosity for household kitchen uses as well. It is an easy way of thinking soya-milk rice, and non dairy soups and ice creams.
- Toothpaste and some cosmetic and beauty products use xanthan gum for keeping the constituents well binded and then loosen up on shaking or mixing.
- Guar xanthan combination is often used in ice creams and other frozen foods and beverages.
- Xanthan gum substitute uses include substituting as a commercial thickener along egg whites for the fatty yolk emulsifier.
- With its twin properties of being a skin hydrating agent as well as thickener and constituent binder, it is often used in cosmetic and beauty products like face packs and beauty gels.
- Xanthan gum use in oil industry is of the important xanthan gum uses. Natural thickeners like guar or xanthan gum is added to water to increase its viscosity and then using it as a lubricant.