Definition and Areas of Use :
Xanthan gum, which is widely used in food applications, is a heteropolysaccharide produced by immersion aerobic fermentation using a bacterium called Xanthomonas campestris, and the sterile fermentation medium consists of carbohydrates, a suitable nitrogen source, potassium phosphate and other trace elements.
The polysaccharide produced at the end of the fermentation stage is precipitated using isopropyl alcohol and isolated from the medium. The isolated polysaccharide is then centrifuged to remove residual isopropyl alcohol and then dried.
Xanthan gum is ground to become powder and packaged after being sieved. It contains D-gluco and D-mannose as the dominant hexose, D-glucuronic acid and pyruvic acid, and is prepared as sodium, potassium or calcium salts, and its solutions are neutral.