Xanthan Gum : it is not bubble gum

Xanthan gum derives its name from the strain of bacteria used during the fermentation process, Xanthomonas campestris. Xanthomonas campestris is the same 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.

Xanthan gum is a long chain polysacharide composed of the sugars glucose, mannose, and glucuronic acid. The backbone is similar to cellulose, with added sidechains of trisacharides (three sugars in a chain).A polysacharide is a chain of sugars. Some familiar polysacharides are starch and cellulose.

The trisacharide side chains of mannose and glucuronic acid make the molecule rigid, and allow it to form a right-handed helix. These features make it interact with itself and with other long chain molecules to form thick mixtures and gels in water.

Xanthan Gum is mainly made from starch, is a high molecular weight polysaccharide products.Xanthan gum can be used as stabliser ,thickener , emusifier and high viscosity agent in more than twenty industrial fields, such as food, pharmaceutical ,fine chemical, agriculture, oil drilling and exploitation , and so on .

Xanthan gum is used as a thickener in sauces, as an agent in ice cream that prevents ice crystals from forming, and as a fat substitute that adds the "mouth feel" of fat without the calories in low or non- fat dairy product.. It is also used in canned pet food to add "cling". Xanthan gum is also used as a substitute for wheat gluten in gluten-free breads, pastas and other flour-based food products.

In pastry fillings, it prevents "weeping" ( syneresis ) of the water in the filling, protecting the crispness of the crust. It has a very high viscosity (thickness) even when very little is used. When mixed with guar gum or locust bean gum , the viscosity is more than when either one is used alone, so less of each can be used.

Another use for xanthan gum is the stabilization and binding of cosmetic products. One advantage of xanthan gum is that a little goes an incredibly long way. Cosmetic manufacturers add a very small amount of xanthan gum to their cream-based products in order to keep the individual ingredients from separating. Despite the use of bacteria during processing, xanthan gum itself is not generally harmful to human skin or digestive systems, though some individuals may find they are allergic to it. Xanthan gum is often used whenever a gel-like quality is sought.

One lesser-known use of xanthan gum is in the oil industry. 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.