ABSTRACT
Xanthan gum is the most recent addition to the list of gums approved for food use.1 Before its discovery naturally occurring plant gums were the only commercially viable source of large amounts of native polysaccharides. Although many of these polysaccharides still have great utility and commercial importance, xanthan gum stands out as having unique and useful characteristics. Because of these distinctive properties xanthan gum has found wide acceptance as a functional additive in both food and industrial products. Food grade xanthan gum meets the specifications set forth in the Food Chemicals Codex and the National Formulary. Xanthan gum is completely soluble in hot or cold water. Its enzymic synthesis by fermentation under controlled conditions provides a structurally uniform polymer with a narrow molecular weight distribution. A novel and useful property of xanthan gum is its reactivity with galactomannans, such as guar and locust bean gum.
