What are Xantan Gum and Guar Gum?

In my previous post I mentioned that I've found two ingredients new to my repertoire and that I didn't feel comfortable eating them. More about them in a moment.

My philosophy on food is to try to eat unprocessed and recognizable ingredients, like those that my great and even my grandmother would recognize. If it wasn't in their shopping list, it shouldn't be in mine. Right? So, I double check the ingredients in every single article I find at the grocery store. I'm amazed at the length of the ingredient list for most articles that line up the isles. And I'm talking not just about the conventional foods. The so called heath foods are also full of additives. Let's take a look to some organic "toaster pastries" (my kids beg me to buy them). Ingredients: Wheat flour, evaporated cane juice, palm oil, evaporated cane juice invert, apples, whole wheat flour, raspberries, strawberries, vital wheat gluten, blueberries, corn starch, sea salt, honey, molasses, colored with betalains, paprika extract (from plants), rice bran extract, citric acid, açai powder, algin, sodium citrate, mono calcium phosphate, whey protein concentrate (milk)


All the above ingredients in bold italic letters, are things that my grandmother would have never thought she could buy or even ingest. some are innocuous like evaporated cane juice invert, is just a sweeter form of sugar or syrup obtained by heating 2 parts of sucrose and 1 part water. This makes the sucrose split into its two components, glucose and fructose. Something that our grandmothers did to make fondants and other treats.  Betalains (is food coloring extracted from beets), algin (is a gum extracted from brown seaweed). Rice bran extract, also known as rice bran oil, is rich in vitamin E.  Whey protein concentrate (milk) is the protein contained in whey, the watery portion of milk that separates from the curds when making cheese.   Whey protein is used for improving athletic performance, as a food supplement, as an alternative to milk for people with lactose intolerance, for replacing or supplementing milk-based infant formulas, and for reversing weight loss and increasing glutathione (GSH) in people with HIV disease.  Sodium citrate and mono calcium phosphate are preservatives, that help food stay "fresh" longer on the shelf. They are not ingredients that I'll use in a regular kitchen.  

Paprika extract is another issue, it's an oil soluble extract from the fruits of Capsicum Annum Linn or Capsicum Frutescens (Indian red chillies). Extraction is performed by percolation with a variety of solvents, primarily hexane.

According to a report by the Cornucopia Institute, hexane is used to extract oil from grains and seeds, as well as protein from soy, to such an extent that in 2007, grain processors were responsible for more than two-thirds of hexane emissions in the United States. The report also pointed out that the hexane can persist in the final food product created; in a sample of processed soy, the oil contained 10 ppm, the meal 21 ppm and the grits 14 ppm hexane. The adverse health effects seem specific to n-hexane; they are much reduced or absent for other isomers. Therefore, the food oil extraction industry, which relied heavily on hexane, has been considering switching to other solvents, including isohexane.

As for Xanthan Gum and Guar Gum, found in most Gluten-Free bread-like articles in the store or ready-to-make mixes, this is what I've found: Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris (the bacteria that causes black spots on broccoli, cauliflower, and some other leafy greens), is used as a food additive and rheology modifier,^[2] commonly used as a food thickening agent (in salad dressings, for example) and a stabilizer (in cosmetic products, for example, to prevent ingredients from separating). It is produced by the fermentation of glucose, sucrose, or lactose by the Xanthomonas campestris bacterium. After a fermentation period, the polysaccharides are precipitated from a growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried, and ground into a fine powder. Later, it is added to a liquid medium to form the gum.

Guar gum, also called guaran, is a galactomannan. It is primarily the ground endosperm of guar beans. The guar seeds are husked, milled and screened to obtain the guar gum.^[1] It is typically produced as a free-flowing, pale, off-white-colored, coarse to fine ground powder. Guar beans are originally from India and Pakistan. According to a Reuters report, India accounts for about 80 percent of the global trade in guar products. It is primarily used as a thickener by the food industry and time-release agent by the drug industry. Guar gum may be used in beverages, soups, gravies and creamy desserts -- particularly pudding and ice cream, as it prevents ice crystals from forming. As a type soluble fiber, guar gum affects the rate glucose is absorbed by the body and may have some unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects.

As you can see, all these gums and additives that weren't on our grandmother's and great-grandmother's  shopping lists might improve the nutritional value and shelf life of this "healthier" prepackaged foods on paper, but in reality our organism is not ready to digest all this new food paraphernalia, hence we suffer the consequences with bloating, constipation, diarrhea, excessive feeling of fullness, and other side effects.


So what is a parent to do when his or her kids ask for this kind of products at the store and they are at the verge of throwing a fit in the spot? Just remain calm and explain that this kind of foods aren't good for us because all the additives, and prompt them to make a better choice, like fresh fruit or granola with yogurt (make sure is not full of fillers, colorants and extra sugar). They might not agree right there, but little by little they will learn what's best.


Have a great day and keep living free!


Maria