Xanthan Gum

What is Xanthan Gum?

Xanthan Gum is a food thickening agent made from bacteria capable of infecting numerous plants.

It can improve the structure, consistency, flavor, and shelf life of many food products.

Xanthan gum is the substance that helps stabilize foods, making them resistant to different temperatures and pH levels.

It prevents foods from separating and allows them to flow smoothly from their containers.

It is a popular food additive added to foods as a thickener (to add volume) or a stabilizer.

Xanthan Gum E Code: E 415

How is Xanthan Gum Produced?

Xanthan Gum is produced when sugar is fermented by a type of bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris. During this production process, when the sugar ferments, a broth-like substance is formed, which is then dried and turned into a powder.

When Xanthan Gum powder is added to a liquid, it disperses quickly to form a viscous and stable solution. This property adds thickening, suspending, and stabilizing characteristics to many products.

To produce Xanthan Gum, X. campestris requires various nutrients, including micronutrients (for example; Potassium, Iron, and Calcium Salts) and macronutrients like Carbon and Nitrogen.

In the production of this chemical, glucose and sucrose are the most commonly used carbon sources. The concentration of the carbon source in Xanthan Gum production affects the yield of the reaction.

A concentration of 2% - 4% is preferred in Xanthan Gum production. Substrate concentrations above this level inhibit growth.

Nitrogen, an essential nutrient, is supplied either as an organic compound or an inorganic molecule.

What are its Physical and Chemical Properties?

Among its most prominent features is its solubility in both cold and hot water. This property stems from the polyelectrolyte characteristics of Xanthan Gum. It is insoluble in organic solvents. It can be added up to a level of 50% into Isopropyl Alcohol, Methyl Alcohol, Ethyl Alcohol, and Acetone.

It has high viscosity even at low polymer concentrations. Due to this property, it is used in the food industry as a thickener to stabilize suspensions and emulsions.

The thickening capabilities of its solutions are related to viscosity. High viscosity resists flow.

Gum solutions are pseudoplastic or shear-thinning, meaning their viscosity decreases with an increasing shear rate. Its viscosity depends on temperature (both dissolution and measurement temperatures), biopolymer concentration, salt concentration, and pH.

It has the best stabilization in the pH range of 4 to 10. A 1% concentration solution provides a viscosity of 1000 centipoise.

Density at 20 °C is 1.50 g/cm³.

Melting Point: Information not available

Boiling Point: Information not available

Where is Xanthan Gum Used?

• It provides emulsification in salad dressings. Xanthan gum is used in the manufacturing of salad dressings to ensure the sauces penetrate the salads well.
• In baked goods, xanthan gum is used as a binder, thickener, and emulsifying agent instead of gluten.
• Xanthan Gum is used as a thickening active ingredient in mosquito repellent sprays.
• It is used in fruit beverages to help the suspended drink achieve a better appearance. Xanthan Gum is a substance with rapid solubility in low pH environments, which helps suspend other insoluble particles.
• It is used in the manufacturing of instant soups.
• In frozen dairy products, xanthan gum used in conjunction with methyl cellulose and carboxymethylcellulose has very good effects.
• In cheese manufacturing, it provides hardness when mixed with guar gum and locust bean gum. It also ensures flavor release in spreadable cheeses.
• Due to its high resting viscosity, it is used as a food additive in the manufacturing of syrups as it provides excellent consistency and flow properties.
• Due to its stabilizing nature, it is used in the manufacturing of gluten-free products.
• It is used as a thickening agent in powdered disinfectants produced for the disinfection of dairy animals' teats. At the same time, Silicon Dioxide or Tricalcium Phosphate is used as an anti-caking agent.
• It is used in the manufacturing of low-fat foods.
• It is possible to produce water-dispersible stabilizers with substances like some surfactants and lecithin. Xanthan gum is the main component for this.
• Xanthan gum is used as a thickening agent in the manufacturing of many personal care and beauty products.
• The ingredients used during toothpaste production need to stay together. A binder is required for this. It is the most important thickener and binder for edible toothpaste.

What are Other Areas of Use?

• It is used in the manufacturing of toothpaste, creams, lotions, and shampoos. In these applications, it is used to increase viscosity and provide good flow properties.
• In toothpaste production, it helps maintain the product's shape and ensures the emulsifier property works effectively.
• Its thickening property is also utilized in toothpaste production. In this application, it is used together with glycerin, maltodextrin, activated carbon, zinc lactate, benzyl alcohol, sodium benzoate, sodium bicarbonate and Potassium sorbate.
• In many industrial products, due to its ability to withstand different temperatures and pH levels, it provides excellent flow by adhering to surfaces and thickening liquids.
• Xanthan gum is used as a thickening agent in the manufacturing of fungicides, herbicides, and insecticides.
• It is used in the manufacturing of tile, grout, and toilet bowl cleaning chemicals.
• It is the thickening agent used in creams produced for acne treatment.
• It is used in the manufacturing formulations of some paints.
• In cosmetic creams produced for wrinkle filling, it helps the skin retain moisture. It acts as a stabilizer in the manufacturing of cosmetic creams designed to increase hyaluronic acid production.
• In pharmaceutical preparations, it is used with Salicylic Acid and some other chemicals for acne and pimple treatment to provide consistency and bind the other ingredients of the drug together.
• Xanthan gum is an important component for providing consistency in the manufacturing of adhesives like wallpaper paste.
• In oil fields, it is used with oxidizing agents like sodium percarbonate and ammonium persulfate to create the fracturing fluid.
• In wine production, its binding property is utilized in the manufacturing of tablets used as controlled-release agents. This helps to hold the other excipients and the active ingredient together.
• This chemical is used as a thickener in car shampoo production.
• It is a stabilizer used in skin lightening compositions.
• It has a thickening property in the production of shampoo used for washing horses' hair.
• In cosmetics, hair application components have recently become very important. The most crucial factors affecting the desirability of these cosmetic products are ease of application and minimal skin irritation. For this, it is processed along with other thickening agents.
• It is used as a non-ionic thickening agent in the production of concentrated Salicylic Acid gel. The purpose is to ensure the safe and stable transport of Salicylic Acid.
• In the petroleum industry, it is used for suspension and transport, as a sealing agent, and as a viscosity enhancer.
• In the production of environmentally friendly drilling fluids, it can be used as a carrying rod along with high-adhesion, aggregating anionic cellulose.

What Factors Affect its Price?

The price of Xanthan Gum is directly linked to the raw materials it is produced from. As the prices of the materials used in its production increase, the price of this substance will also increase.

It is directly related to its areas of use. As the application areas of Xanthan Gum increase, its price will increase. This is because the produced raw material will not meet the demand.

The price can vary depending on the stock levels of companies selling Xanthan Gum. As stocks increase, prices will experience a short-term decrease.