| Xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum - these | | | | also known as the cluster bean. Most commercial |
| are ingredients that are added to gluten free | | | | production comes from India, although some of |
| products. What are they, what do they do, and | | | | the dryer areas in the US, Australia, and Africa |
| are they OK for someone with celiac disease or | | | | also grow these beans. Once the hull is removed |
| gluten intolerance? | | | | the rest of the bean is ground to make a light |
| When you take the gluten out of the flour used | | | | gray powder. Guar gum tends to be less |
| for baked goods, you take out the component | | | | expensive than xanthan gum. |
| that makes the products stick together. Bakers | | | | Locust Bean Gum |
| use gums to help restore some of that stickiness | | | | Locust bean gum is extracted from the seeds of |
| in the dough so the products aren't quite so | | | | the carob tree which grows in Mediterranean |
| crumbly. | | | | countries. It is also known as carob bean or carob |
| Xanthan Gum | | | | gum. It is a white or yellow-white powder. |
| Xanthan gum is the one that people usually spell | | | | Pick a Gum |
| incorrectly (xantham or zanthan show up a lot). | | | | Any one of these three gums can be used |
| Technically, it is a polysaccharide used as a food | | | | individually, although their chemical properties are |
| additive and rheology modifier. A polysaccharide is | | | | all slightly different and if you use a mixture of |
| a complex sugar made up of long chains of simple | | | | locust bean and guar gum or guar and xanthan |
| sugar molecules joined together. A food additive | | | | gum, you end up with a thicker product than you |
| means that it is added to products to change the | | | | get from one individual product. |
| texture, appearance, or stability of the product. | | | | Potential Concerns |
| Xanthan gum is added to thicken products and | | | | There is no gluten in any of these gums, but they |
| make them hold together better. Rehology | | | | some people with celiac disease or gluten |
| describes the way a substance flows or in the | | | | intolerance get diarrhea when they eat it. It turns |
| case of baked goods, how they hold together. | | | | out that all of these gums, but especially guar |
| So xanthan gum is a sugar that changes the | | | | gum, can be used as a laxative, and some people |
| texture of baked goods to make them more | | | | are very sensitive to even very small amounts of |
| sticky and hold together better. It is made by | | | | the gum. People with corn allergies may react to |
| fermenting corn sugar with the bacteria | | | | xanthan gum produced from corn. While it can be |
| Xanthomonas campestris in a liquid form, and then | | | | produced from other grains, it may be easier to |
| isopropyl alcohol is used to separate out the | | | | just try guar or locust bean gum. |
| xanthan gum from the rest of the liquid product. | | | | So in summary, xanthan gum, guar gum and |
| The separated solid is dried and ground into a | | | | locust bean gum are all naturally gluten free and |
| beige powder. | | | | are just fine for someone with celiac disease or |
| Guar Gum | | | | gluten intolerance. |
| Guar gum or guaran is made from the guar bean, | | | | |