Xanthan

Description

A polysaccharide material produced by the fermentation of sugar by the bacterium Xathomonas campestris, originally isolated from the rutabaga plant. Xanthan is primarily composed of mannose, glucose, and glucuronic acid units. It is a cream-colored powder that is dissolves in water to produce a thick viscous solution at very low concentrations. Xanthan remains stable over a wide temperature range and forms a strong film on drying. Xanthan is used as a binder, an extender and stabilizer in foods and cosmetics.

Synonyms and Related Terms

xanthan gum; xanthaangom (Ned.); Ketrol F; Kelzan

FTIR

Other Properties

Soluble in hot or cold water, acids and bases.

Authority

• Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993

• I.W. Cottrell, J.K. Baird, gums chapter

• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthan (accessed Mar. 10, 2006)