Xanthan gum Europe
Perfect basis for a wide range of production processes!
Xanthan gum is a high molecular weight polysaccharide. It is produced by fermenting a carbohydrate with Xanthomonas campestris. Xanthan gum can be made from corn, which has a special molecular structure that offers many special properties in wide applications. It is used as a rheology modifier in aqueous systems, as a stabilizer for emulsions and suspensions, and as an emulsifier. The many application areas cover a broad xanthan gum market spectrum and range from the food industry to oil well drilling.
Applications of Xanthan Gum
As a stabilizer for emulsions and suspensions and as an emulsifier, Xanthan gum is used in food and beverages, including salad dressings, tomato-based products, bakery fillings, chocolate sauces, desserts, mayonnaise, cake mixes, toppings, relish, protein substitutes, ice cream, sorbets, fruit juices, instant drinks , gluten-free bread, cheese, yoghurt, margarine and fruit preparations. In addition, Xanthan gum is allowed as a food additive in the European Union (EU), which means that it is safe to eat food with Xanthan gum additives. If you are looking for a xanthan gum stabilizer, thickener, thickener, emulsifier xanthan gum, suspending agent or xanthan gum binder, this is your best choice.
Xanthan gum can also be used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, pet food additives and other technical applications such as in the oil industry, agriculture, textile industry, paint industry and so on.
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Background information
Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide with many industrial uses, including as a common food additive. It is an effective thickener, emulsifier and stabilizer that prevents ingredients from separating. It can be produced from simple sugars using a fermentation process and takes its name from the bacterial species used, Xanthomonas campestris.
E number E415 and CAS number 11138-66-2
Xanthan gum was discovered by Allene Rosalind Jeanes and her research team at the United States Department of Agriculture. It was put into commercial production in the early 1960s by CP Kelco under the trade name Kelzan. It was approved for use in foods in 1968 and is accepted as a safe food additive in the US, Canada, European countries and many other countries, with E number E415 and CAS number 11138-66-2.
Usage
Xanthan Gum, 1%, can significantly increase the viscosity of a liquid.
In foods, xanthan gum is often used in salad dressings and sauces. It helps prevent oil separation by stabilizing the emulsion. However, it is not an emulsifier. Xanthan gum also helps to keep solid particles – such as herbs – in suspension. Xanthan gum helps create the desired texture in many ice creams. Toothpaste often contains xanthan gum as a binding agent to keep the product uniform. Xanthan gum also helps thicken commercial egg substitutes made from egg whites, replacing the fat and emulsifiers found in yolks. It is also a preferred method of thickening liquids for people with swallowing disorders, as it does not change the color or taste of foods or drinks when used normally. In gluten-free baking, xanthan gum is used to give the dough or batter the stickiness that would otherwise be achieved with gluten. In most foods it is used in concentrations of 0.5% or less. Xanthan gum is used in a wide variety of foods such as sauces, dressings, meat and poultry products, bakery products, confectionery, beverages, dairy products and other applications.
The oil industry
Xanthan gum is used in large quantities in the oil industry to thicken drilling mud. These fluids transport the solids cut by the drill to the surface. Xanthan gum provides great low end rheology. When the circulation stops, the solids remain in suspension in the drilling fluid. The widespread use of horizontal drilling and the demand for good control of drilled solids has led to its wider use. It is added to concrete poured under water to increase viscosity and prevent washing out.
Cosmetics
In cosmetics, xanthan gum is used to make water gels. It is also used in ‘oil-in-water’ emulsions to improve droplet coalescence. Xanthan gum is currently being investigated for potential applications in tissue engineering to create hydrogels and scaffolds that support three-dimensional tissue formation. Furthermore, thiolated xanthan gum (see thiomers) has shown potential for drug delivery, as high mucoadhesive and permeation enhancing properties can be introduced through the covalent attachment of thiol groups to this polysaccharide.
Shear thinning
The viscosity of xanthan gum solutions decreases at higher shear rates. This is called shear thinning or pseudoplasticity. This means that a product that is subject to shear, be it mixing, shaking or chewing, becomes thinner. When the shear forces are removed, the food thickens again. In salad dressing, the addition of xanthan gum makes the mixture thick enough in the bottle to keep it fairly homogeneous, but the shear forces created by shaking and pouring thin it out so it can be poured easily. When it comes out of the bottle, the shear forces are released and it thickens again, sticking to the salad.
Amounts used
The more xanthan gum added to a liquid, the thicker the liquid becomes. An emulsion can be formed with as little as 0.1% (by weight). Increasing the amount of gum gives a thicker, more stable emulsion up to 1% xanthan gum. A teaspoon of xanthan gum weighs about 2.5 grams and brings one cup (250 ml) of water to a concentration of 1%.
To make foam, 0.2-0.8% xanthan gum is usually used. Larger amounts result in larger bubbles and denser foam. Egg white powder (0.2-2.0%) with 0.1-0.4% xanthan gum gives bubbles similar to soap bubbles.
Health
Xanthan gum may have a number of health benefits. It slowed tumor growth in mice with skin cancer, stabilized blood sugar, lowered cholesterol and improved symptoms of dysphagia. Xanthan gum can also act as a laxative.
Safety
According to a 2017 safety review by a scientific panel of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), xanthan gum (European food additive number E 415) is extensively digested during intestinal fermentation and does not cause any adverse effects even at high intake levels. The EFSA panel found no concern for genotoxicity with long-term consumption. EFSA concluded that there is no safety concern for the general population when xanthan gum is consumed as a food additive.
Processing by microbiome
In 2022, scientists discovered that a microbe from the Ruminococcaceae family – present in human stool samples – was able to break down xanthan gum. It turned out to be from the microbiome of people in industrialized countries.
Preparation
Xanthan gum is produced by fermentation of glucose and sucrose. The medium is well aerated and stirred, and the xanthan polymer is produced extracellularly in the medium. After one to four days, the polymer is precipitated from the medium by the addition of isopropyl alcohol. The precipitate is dried and ground to a powder that is readily soluble in water or brine.
It is composed of pentasaccharide repeating units, consisting of glucose, mannose and glucuronic acid in the molar ratio 2:2:1.
A strain of X. campestris has been developed that grows on lactose, allowing it to be used to process whey – a waste product from cheese production. This can produce 30 g/L of xanthan gum for every 40 g/L of whey powder. Whey-derived xanthan gum is widely used in many commercial products, such as shampoos and salad dressings.
Detail of the biosynthesis
Synthesis originates in glucose as a substrate for the synthesis of the sugar nucleotide precursors UDP-glucose, UDP-glucuronate and GDP-mannose. Substances are necessary for building the pentasaccharide repeat unit. This links xanthan synthesis to carbohydrate metabolism. The repeat units are built on undecaprenyl phosphate lipid carriers that are anchored in the cytoplasmic membrane.
Specific glycosyltransferases sequentially transfer the sugar groups from the nucleotide sugar xanthan precursors to the lipid carriers. Acetyl and pyruvyl residues are added as non-carbohydrate decorations. Mature repeat units are polymerized and exported in a manner similar to the Wzy-dependent polysaccharide synthesis mechanism of Enterobacteriaceae. Products of the gum gene cluster allow for synthesis, polymerization and export of the repeating unit.
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