Is Xanthan Gum (E415) Halal? How It's Made

Xanthan gum is a thickener and stabilizer with the E-number E415 ^[2]. It's a long sugar chain made by a bacterium called Xanthomonas campestris ^[2]. US rules describe it as a gum made of glucose, mannose and glucuronic acid units, sold as a sodium, potassium or calcium salt ^[1].

You'll find it in salad dressings, sauces, ice cream, gluten-free baking and toothpaste ^[2]. Food makers usually use 0.5% or less ^[2], so a little goes a long way.

Xanthan gum does a lot in small amounts. It thickens salad dressings and sauces, keeps spices from sinking, and helps give ice cream its texture ^[2]. In gluten-free baking, it adds the stickiness that gluten would normally give ^[2]. It also thickens egg substitutes and drinks for people who have trouble swallowing ^[2]. As little as 0.1% can hold an emulsion together ^[2].

Making xanthan gum is a fermentation process:

1. The bacteria are grown in a tank with sugars such as glucose and sucrose, plus air ^[2].
2. Over one to four days, they release the gum into the liquid ^[2].
3. Isopropyl alcohol is added to make the gum separate out ^[2].
4. The gum is dried and ground into powder ^[2].

US rules require the strain to be harmless and the final product to be free of living bacteria ^[1]. No animal tissue is involved at any step.

1. The growth medium. Bacteria need food. Usually that's plant sugar. One strain was developed to grow on whey, a by-product of cheese making ^[2]. Whey is dairy, and its halal status depends on the rennet used in the cheese. See our whey protein and enzymes pages.

Halal bodies apply this same test to other microbial ingredients. SANHA, for example, accepts microbial enzymes when the growth medium is halal-suitable ^[3].

2. The isopropyl alcohol. This is a solvent, not the ethanol in alcoholic drinks. It's used to pull the gum out of the liquid, and US rules cap what remains in the finished gum at 750 parts per million ^[1]. Most halal discussion of alcohol concerns intoxicating drinks. For more on ethanol in food, see alcohol and ethanol.

For most shoppers, xanthan gum isn't the ingredient to worry about. In a typical dressing or sauce, check the other ingredients first, such as wine, wine vinegar, gelatin or cheese.

If you want full assurance:

• Look for a halal certification mark on the product.
• For baking, buy a halal-certified xanthan gum powder.
• If you are strict about the growth medium, contact the maker and ask what the bacteria were fed.

Xanthan gum is one of several plant or microbe-based thickeners. Others include guar gum, gellan gum, pectin and carrageenan. They are often used instead of gelatin, which can come from pigs.