Xanthan Gum Usage Guide: Exclusive Tips for the Food and Beverage Industry

December 21, 2023

Whether it's a refreshing juice or a classic sauce, the flavor and texture of food and beverages often hide many secrets. In the competitive food industry, xanthan gum is one of the key ingredients that make these treats and drinks unforgettable. As your xanthan gum supplier, we understand the irreplaceable nature of xanthan gum in food manufacturing. This seemingly ordinary but powerful ingredient not only gives your products the desired texture and mouthfeel but also enhances their stability.

Next, we'll take a closer look at the exciting applications of xanthan gum in beverages, baked goods, condiments, and frozen foods, and share recommended dosages for different food types. In addition, we'll provide notes on xanthan gum usage to help you avoid common mistakes. Let's open the door to success together and breathe new life and inspiration into your products!

1. What is Xanthan Gum?

While an ingredient like xanthan gum may sound like it was produced in a lab, it's actually very natural. Xanthan gum is produced when glucose is fermented with a bacterium found in cabbage called Xanthomonas campestris, whose main components are glucan and galactose. During the fermentation process, it forms a white powder which is then sold as xanthan gum powder.

Xanthan gum is favored for its excellent thickening, gelling, and stabilizing properties, providing unique properties and advantages in the manufacture of food and beverages.

What does xanthan gum do?

● Powerful thickening and gelling properties

Xanthan gum is able to give foods a rich taste and texture at relatively low concentrations. At the same time, it also has excellent gelation properties, which can be used to prepare a variety of gelatinous foods, such as jelly, pudding, etc., making the product more attractive.

● Good stability and emulsification

Xanthan gum can show excellent stability at different temperatures and pH conditions, which is suitable for a variety of food processes. In addition, it has excellent emulsifying properties, which can maintain a uniform texture in food products and enhance the texture and flavor.

● Compatibility with different ingredients

Xanthan gum is compatible with a variety of ingredients such as water, fats, oils, and sugars, and shows good compatibility when combined.

2. How is xanthan gum used in food and beverage manufacturing?

After experiencing the amazing functions of xanthan gum, it is of most important for us to understand how to use this versatile ingredient correctly. Here we will delve deeper and start with choosing the right type, revealing step-by-step tips on how to use xanthan gum in food processing.

2.1 Selecting the right type

Choosing the correct type of xanthan gum is a critical step in ensuring product quality and performance. There is a wide range of xanthan gums on the market, and depending on the desired properties of the food product, you may need to choose a different type of xanthan gum. For example, if you are a manufacturer of sauces and dressings, then you can wholesale high-viscosity xanthan gum. High-viscosity xanthan gum is ideal for such products that require a thicker consistency. Instead, low-viscosity xanthan gum is used for products that require a thinner consistency, such as beverages and salad dressings.

If you have any questions about buying xanthan gum products, you can consult our team. This will ensure that your product will maximize the benefits of xanthan gum and achieve the best texture and taste.

2.2 Application and dosage in food processing

The correct application and dosage of xanthan gum in food processing is important to the quality of your final product. In this section, we will look at the application of xanthan gum in food processing and the corresponding dosage so that you can better understand how to effectively utilize this commonly used ingredient in the food industry.

1. Applications in beverages

In beverage manufacturing, xanthan gum exhibits considerable hydrophilicity, which allows it to maintain excellent stability under varying conditions. If you are producing liquid beverages and want to achieve thickening, suspending, and sensory enhancement, you may want to consider adding 0.1%-0.3% xanthan gum to your liquid beverages. This will not only significantly increase the consistency of the drink, but will also improve the stability and particle suspension of the drink.

On the other hand, the addition of 0.1%-0.3% xanthan gum is also a good choice in the preparation of solid beverages. This not only makes the product easier to mold but also enhances the taste of the beverage significantly.

2. Applications in bakery products

As a polysaccharide containing a large number of hydroxyl groups, xanthan gum shows excellent hydrophilicity, and the complex spatial network structure formed between xanthan gum and gluten proteins is very effective. This interaction significantly increases the water-holding capacity of gluten proteins and strengthens the dough. As a result, baked goods are endowed with excellent water-holding capacity, elasticity, and softness, while at the same time extending the shelf life of the product.

In cake making, we suggest that the recommended use of xanthan gum is generally between 0.1% and 0.3%. This tiny addition is effective in increasing the microporous structure of the cake, making it fluffier and extending the shelf life. If you are producing bakery products, then the recommended use level is 0.1%-0.2%, which keeps the bread fluffy and soft, especially for those dark breads that contain coarse fiber.

3. Applications in frozen beverages

In the production of frozen beverages, xanthan gum demonstrates its excellent stability over a wide range of temperatures, playing an outstanding role in stabilizing emulsions from -18 to 100°C. It is also used in the production of ice creams. It not only inhibits the migration of water molecules but also controls the growth rate of ice crystals, creating a soft, creamy texture for ice cream. By increasing the amount of xanthan gum used, you can give your ice cream a higher viscosity, giving it excellent plasticity, shape-holding, stickiness, and softness.

I recommend that you add 0.1%-0.3% xanthan gum to your ice cream, this will infuse your product with a porous structure, making it more creamy while achieving an ice cream free result.

4. Application in flavorings

When xanthan gum meets water, it is able to quickly dissolve and form a sol, acting as a thickening agent. Moreover, its strong stability to heat, acid, alkali, and salt makes it ideal for use in flavorings.

If you are a manufacturer of seasonings, I would recommend that you add 0.05%-0.1% xanthan gum to the production of your seasonings. This addition will enhance your product's salt tolerance and increase the consistency. Additionally, xanthan gum enhances the wall-hanging and adhesion properties of your seasonings, allowing them to blend better into the ingredients.

5. Use in other foods

Food CategoryUsage Amount
Meat Products0.1%-0.2%
Frozen Foods0.1%-0.2%
Stuffed Foods0.5%-1.5%
Frozen sweets0.1%-0.2%
Instant Noodles0.2%-0.3%
Sausages0.2%-0.3%
Canned meat0.1%-0.2%
Dehydrated food0.2%-0.4%

2.3 Method of use

Since xanthan gum has strong hydrophilicity, if it is directly added to water without sufficient mixing, the outer layer may absorb water and swell to form a gelatinous mass. This will prevent water from entering the inner layer and affect the function of xanthan gum. Therefore, special attention needs to be paid to the correct handling of xanthan gum when using it.

As a xanthan gum supplier, we not only have professional knowledge but also have worked with many food manufacturers. Therefore, I suggest you to use the following method:

Mix one part of xanthan gum with ten or more parts of other dry ingredients (such as flour, starch, sugar, MSG, salt, etc.). Next, slowly pour the mixture into the water you are stirring, let it steep for about two hours, and keep stirring until it is completely dissolved. By taking steps like this, you can ensure that the xanthan gum is fully dissolved and avoid the formation of lumps.

3. Precautions for the use of xanthan gum

3.1 Compatibility with other ingredients

Xanthan gum performs well in food manufacturing and it is compatible with the vast majority of commonly used food thickeners in solution. You need to be especially noteworthy that it increases solution viscosity in a stacked fashion when mixed with alginates, starch, carrageenan, carob bean gum, etc. It also exhibits good compatibility in aqueous solutions containing a variety of salts. But, xanthan gum may become unstable when high-valent metal ions or high pH values are present. To prevent this incompatibility from occurring, you may consider adding a complexing agent to stabilize the system and ensure product quality.

3.2 Dissolving Techniques

Under normal situations, if you want the xanthan gum to dissolve quickly within 15 seconds, cold water will do the trick. Hot water will also work, but after the water is heated to 90 degrees will reduce the viscosity of xanthan gum. So, you need to be in control of the water temperature during the dissolving process.

If you use the mixing and diluting with a small amount of sugar as I suggested above, mix them slowly into the water and stir quickly. If diluting without sugar, be careful to wait as slowly as possible when dissolving the additions and then spreading them out. This is to prevent the mixing speed is too fast, resulting in the formation of xanthan gum outside the Bureau of dissolution, resulting in slower dissolution.

3.3 Storage and Preservation

To ensure the quality and effectiveness of xanthan gum, I recommend that you dispense and store it in sterile, moisture-proof, light-proof containers. Take special care to avoid direct sunlight and preferably keep it at room temperature. In addition, xanthan gum has a shelf life of about 12 months or so, so try to use up as much as you can in production within a certain period of time. This prevents xanthan gum from losing the activity and effectiveness of its components and ensures that it performs at its best when used.

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