(Xanthan Gum. Chemical model graphic used with permission from Dr. Martin Chaplin of the London South Bank University, London, UK)
Molecular Gastronomy plays with established food identities to challenge the semiotics of food. It explores the use of chemicals and processes previously the domain of high-throughput industrial food producers and food scientists to deliver non-intuitive gastronomic experiences.
Our expectation than an egg yolk contains egg is flipped and inverted when one bites into one of Ferran Adrià ’s encapsulated broths, extractions, or infusions. Instead of egg yolk, when one bites down and pops the membrane, mango essence may bloom onto your palate. Food hack for food play.
A lot of the “food hack” aspects of Molecular Gastronomy flows from the transformative effects of a few certain ingredients, or reagents as we would call them in the lab.
One key reagent is Xanthan Gum.
So, what is this xantham gum you speak of?
Xanthan gum (shown at top) is a polysaccharide, meaning that it is a large molecule composed of several saccharides or sugars linked together. The size and shape of this molecule dictates how it interacts with it’s environment, chemical and physical. Xanthan gum has several interesting qualities that makes it very useful in the mega-food industry and also in molecular gastronomy.
Some of those qualities are:
it thickens
it stabilizes
it emulsifies
it helps with the creation of foams
it retards or controls the formation of ice crystals
In particular, the one characteristic of xanthan gum that makes it so valuable is something called pseudoplasticity or thixotrophy.
Believe it or not, you have experienced thixotrophy. Yes, you have, I promise.
When you start to shake a bottle of ketchup, the goo inside pretty much stays put (while your fries are cooling into an unappealing mass of transfats). As you whack on it, it begins to experience something call sheer. The molecules in the ketchup are whipped past one another (shear) and the ketchup and the xanthan gum, and other similarly reacting chemical species, dynamically and temporarily liquefies. Once it shoots out onto your plate or fries or whatever needs ketchup, it is no longer experiencing sheer and returns to its thicker more viscous state. If it were not for this thixotropic behavior, we would need to buy ketchup in jars like peanut butter and use a knife.
You can see experiments on thixotrophy by NASA at their NASAexplores site.
In the industrial setting, it is desirable to have and maintain thickness (viscosity) during production, storage, and shipping, while also delivering a product that is not TOO heavy in the mouth. I think that what they mean is, to put a less than fine point on this, that its thick without being snotty.
It is often mixed with guar gum because they work synergistically to boost the thixotrophic qualities of food or liquids.
So where does this artificial stuff come from anyways?
Well, its actually the by-product of a bacterium called Xanthomonas campestris. In the 1950’s, the USDA ran a large project to scan for organisms that produced interesting biopolymers. One of those biopolymers that they found was xanthan gum.
What sorts of foods have xanthan gum in it?
(Borrowed from ADM)
How is it used in Molecular Gastronomy?
Xanthan gum is added to “your favorite food/liquid” to change it into a gel, thick paste, gloopy mix, or foam. If your are whipping up carrot clouds, you may want to pitch in some xanthan gum to stabilize the loft of the foam. If you want that mango puree to be more viscous when you make it into mango-yolks, add some xanthan gum and, voila, its thick and stabilized.
How is it used in Gluten-Free baking?
If you have ever made your own bread, you would appreciate the magic that wheat gluten brings to the party. It is what gives the stretch to the dough and is that which allows bubbles to form in the bread as gases are produced by the yeast. Without gluten, the gases are not trapped into gluten surrounded bubbles, and the bread is flat and, well, not really bread-like at all. Obviously, gluten-free means you do not have gluten. Xanthan gum replaces gluten by providing the viscosity to the batter to trap the gases, forming the airy texture you want in bread.
This has been a quickie introduction to xanthan gum. There are some fun links through out this post that you might want to explore.
Molecular Gastronomy sites of interest:
Sources for Ingredients:
Related Posts:
13 comments for this entry ↓
1 Carol A. Healy // Apr 7, 2007 at 12:19 pm
I purchased Xanthan Gum, but it does not tell me HOW MUCH I need to add to a recipe, for instance chocolate chip cookies?
Is there a standard measurement to add to recipes?
Thank you,
Carol
2 Nika // Apr 7, 2007 at 2:42 pm
Carol: Here are a few links for xanthan gum used in recipes:
http://www.twinvalleymills.com/pages/recipes.html
Here is a recipe for chocolate chip cookies from http://www.glutenfreeceliacweb.com/2006/02/24/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookies/
INGREDIENTS: 1 2/3 cups All-Purpose GF Baking Flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp xanthan gum, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 cupbutter or margarine or canola oil spread, 3/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 tsp. vanilla extract, 1 extra large egg, 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup chopped nuts.
DIRECTIONS: Pre-heat oven to 350. Grease a large cookie sheet or line with parchment paper; set aside. Stir together the GF baking flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat together butter (room temperature not melted) with granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and egg; scrape sides of bowl frequently. Beat in flour mixture on slow speed, mixing thoroughly. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Shape dough into a flat disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill for two hours. Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. (If using canola oil spread, press down cookies to 1/2 inch thicknesswith a spatula). Bake 10-12 minutes on center rack of oven until lightly browned. Cool 2-3 minutes before removing from cookie sheet. Makes 24 cookies.
To prepare these great cookies, you will need All-Purpose GF Baking flou, xanthan gim, gluten free baking soda, and gluten free vanilla extract.
3 Felipe Garan // May 6, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Hello,
HOW MUCH I need to add to a recipe (dressings)? (like Kraft ranch or blue chesse)
Thanks
4 Nika // May 12, 2007 at 10:44 am
Felipe:
Sorry for the delay in getting back to this comment.
I found the following at this site - http://www.vegparadise.com/asknettie610.html
“HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD DRESSING
(…..)
The version below is oil-free and ideal for anyone wanting to eliminate the added calories from the typical oil-based dressing:
3 C. (about 1 1/4 lbs.) (.75 liters) chopped yellow/orange heirloom tomatoes
1 generous sprig fresh basil leaves
1 t. salt
1/4 t. + 1/8 t. xanthan gum*
1/8 t. cayenne
2 cloves garlic
1/4 C. (60 ml) + 1 T. apple cider vinegar
2 t. balsamic vinegar (optional)
Put all ingredients into the blender, and blend a full minute until mixture is creamy and slightly thickened. Pour into a bowl and serve with a ladle. Store leftovers in an airtight plastic container. Keeps for about 5 days. Makes 3 cups (.75 liters). ”
Hope this helps!
5 Blinded By Science: At Home With Molecular Gastronomy // Jul 27, 2007 at 11:14 am
[…] was playing around with Xantham Gum, partly because it arrived first and partly because I’m curious about geling liquids (rather […]
6 What Exactly Is Xanthan Gum? - The Fit Shack // Sep 27, 2007 at 1:07 am
[…] are all just different names for different forms of sugar. In fact, if you want to get down to the molecular level, xanthan gum is simply many sugars (saccharides) that are linked together, known as a […]
7 Goody2shz // Dec 12, 2007 at 11:32 am
Is there anything that neutralizes the thickening effect of xanthan gum? I’ve used it in a low-fat buttermilk salad dressing but it didn’t thicken up much so I was wondering if there were some substances it won’t work with…..
8 Nika // Dec 12, 2007 at 3:26 pm
Goody2shz: I have been googling but I do not see anywhere about an inhibitor of thickening.
Perhaps you did not dissolve it completely? Perhaps you didnt add enough?
9 ELBA PADILLA // Jun 7, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I was told that xanthan gum produces cancer, my 4 year old only eats his vegetables with ranch dressing and in the ingredients, it is made with xanthan gum, I am very concern, please reply.
Thank you,
Elba
10 SARA // Jun 11, 2008 at 7:24 pm
WOULDN’T YOU THINK IF IT CAUSED CANCER, THE FDA WOULDN’T HAVE APPROVED IT?
11 abbie // Aug 12, 2008 at 4:59 pm
this is so coollll
12 elliotall // Aug 12, 2008 at 5:01 pm
this is so awesome !!!
13 Jess // Aug 15, 2008 at 10:56 am
The fda has approved a bunch things that cause cancer.
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