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Xanthan Gum(E415)

Level 3 — ContestedIn Winter's Dictionary2 sources

Xanthan Gum is a thickener gum — Bacterial-fermentation polysaccharide thickener and stabilizer

What it does

Bacterial-fermentation polysaccharide thickener and stabilizer

Where you'll see it

dairy, salad dressings, animal feeds

What the research says

[ultra-processed-people] Matthew Ostrowski (University of Michigan, Dept Microbiology and Immunology) found xanthan gum feeds a previously rare bacterial species whose colonisation of the human gut has been driven into billions of people by xanthan consumption — the bug is absent from remote hunter-gatherers. A second novel species feeds on the first's breakdown products. This human-created food chain colonises infants early; long-term consequences for immune system development are unknown.

Regulatory status

  • US FDA: GRAS
  • EU: approved
  • Notes: ASP

Sources

  • Ultra-Processed People (van Tulleken) — Chapter 14: Additive anxiety: a bacterial exudate: slime that bacteria produce to allow them to cling to surfaces. Think of xanthan gum when you next scrape the accumulated gunk from the filter on your dishwasher
  • A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives (Winter): used to thicken, suspend, emulsify, and stabilize water-based foods, such as dairy products and salad dressings