Powdered xanthan gum is readily available for home cooks and is a primary ingredient in gluten-free baking.
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Is Xanthan Gum Safe?
It plays a substantial role in evaluating the safety of food additives.
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Powdered xanthan gum is available in the baking section of most stores and also found online.
Home cooks often use xanthan gum in gluten-free cooking to replace gluten and improve the texture of baked goods.
Nutritionally, xanthan gum is primarily a carbohydrate.
An entire loaf of bread typically has 1-2 teaspoons of xanthan gum.
Let’s look at the potential benefits and side effects of consuming xanthan gum.
Benefits
Xanthan gum is asoluble fiberthat your body cannot digest.
Soluble fiberoffers benefits to your gutmicrobiome.
This is the community of microorganisms, mainly bacteria, that live in your digestive tract.
Research shows that dietary fiber helps feed and boost beneficial bacteria in the gut and supports overall digestive health.
How Is Xanthan Gum Produced?
Xanthan gum is made by fermenting sugar with theXanthomonas campestrisbacteria.
This process forms a gel, which is purified.Xanthomonas campestrisis not toxic or dangerous to people.
However, purification ensures no living bacteria remain in the final product.
Then, it’s dried and milled into a powder form, which can be used in foods.
The best alternatives for xanthan gum include:
Who Should Take Special Precautions?
Xanthan gum is considered to be safe when consumed in the amounts typically found in foods.
However, it may cause anadverse reactionor trigger an allergic reaction.
Summary
Xanthan gum is a commonly used food additive that thickens foods and beverages and stabilizes ingredients.
It’s often found in condiments, frozen foods, and sauces, and gluten-free products.
Xanthan gum is considered safe for most people.
It may even have gut health benefits.
However, some people may experience digestive symptoms like increased gassiness if they eat it in large amounts.
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