1. Food: Xanthan gum is added to many foods as stabilizers, emulsifiers, suspending agents, thickeners and processing aids. Xanthan gum can control the rheology, structure, flavor and appearance of the product, and its pseudoplasticity can ensure a good taste, so it is widely used in salad dressings, bread, dairy products, frozen foods, beverages, condiments, brewing, Confectionery, cakes, soups and canned foods. In recent years, people in more developed countries are often worried that the calorific value in food is too high and make themselves fat. Xanthan gum dispels this worry because it cannot be directly degraded by the human body. In addition, according to a Japanese report in 1985, a comparative test was conducted on eleven food additives, among which xanthan gum was the most effective anti-cancer agent.
2. Daily chemical industry: Xanthan gum molecule contains a large number of hydrophilic groups, which is a good surface active substance, and has the functions of anti-oxidation and prevention of skin aging. Therefore, almost all high-end cosmetics are Xanthan gum is used as its main functional component. In addition, xanthan gum can also be used as a component of toothpaste to substantially thicken and shape, reducing the wear on the surface of teeth.
3. Medical aspect: Xanthan gum is a functional component in the internationally popular microcapsule drug capsule material, and it plays an important role in controlling the slow release of drugs; due to its own strong hydrophilicity and water retention, there are many more Specific medical applications, such as forming a dense water film to avoid skin infections; reducing patient thirst after radiotherapy, etc. In addition, Li Xin and Xu Lei once pointed out that xanthan gum itself can significantly enhance the humoral immune function of mice.
4. Industrial and agricultural applications: In the petroleum industry, due to its strong pseudoplasticity, a low-concentration xanthan gum (0.5%) aqueous solution can maintain the viscosity of the drilling fluid and control its rheological properties, so drill bits that rotate at high speeds The viscosity of the part is extremely small, which saves power; while the relatively static drilling part maintains a high viscosity to prevent the well wall from collapsing. And because of its excellent salt resistance and heat resistance, it is widely used in drilling in special environments such as oceans and high-salt zones, and can be used as an oil displacement agent to reduce dead oil areas and increase oil recovery.
