The Xanthan Gum Disaster - A Day in the Life of a Food Scientist

This is a series of posts in which I share snippets of what it's like to be a food scientist. As a product developer for dry powder shakes, there are some lessons I never learned in school and some challenges I never saw coming.  

Unexpected Challenge: Cleaning up Xanthan Gum

I like working with Xanthan gum because it's more tummy-friendly than some of the other gums like guar gum and doesn't solidify in the presence of milk like carrageenan. Konjac gum acts like a giant sponge, which is great if you're trying to reach satiety but not-so-great when your beverages turn into pudding.

First - a bit of science
Xanthan gum is a carbohydrate polymer used to give structure to gluten-free products, soften ice cream and thicken soups/sauces and dry powder shakes. It comes from bacterial fermentation -- basically bacteria named Xanthomonas campestris eat simple sugars, then build complex sugar chains which act as a protective outer coating. That coating is isolated and purified to make Xanthan gum.

For a colorful cartoon diagram covering the step-by-step production of Xanthan gum, check out:
Science of Xanthan - Harvard Microbiology

The Situation 
The only downside to working with Xanthan is that it's easy to spill. Like any dry powder in transit from the jar or bag to the weigh boat on a scale, some of it just seems to slide off the scoop onto the counter. As I assure my boss at the end of every day when he gives me that "Why is our white counter top so colorful" look, I never spill on purpose.

One day a bag of Xanthan gum we ordered came in with a slight hole in the bag. This hole did not compromise the safety of the ingredient but as I tried to pour the Xanthan from its bag into plastic containers, a large amount spilled onto the counter. As they say in some paper towel commercials, this was not a 1-sheet job.

The plot thickens
As I moistened three sheets of paper towels, I was unaware of the giant "Blonde Moment" mistake I was about to make. Trying to wipe down the counter top, I made a paste.

If you've ever found your toddler using baby powder and diaper wipes on your coffee table, you can relate to this situation I suddenly found myself in. The dry Xanthan gum combined with the water from the paper towels made a slippery, slimy, shiny clear paste that I would spend the next hour and a whole roll of dry paper towels cleaning up. I felt bad about using so many paper towels, but I didn't want to use a dish towel and find out what Xanthan gum does to a washing machine.

I was not grossed out by this paste, nor did I make any resolve to stop eating any and all Xanthan gum-containing products. Xanthan gum on a counter top is very different than Xanthan gum inside the human body, so I knew better than to extrapolate.

Nonetheless, let this be a reminder that water is not the best cleaning tool for everything. Gums, oils, and hygroscopic powders are best cleaned without water. I should've known, but now I'll never forget.

Additional Resources:
10 Facts about Xanthan Gum - Fooducate Blog

Related Posts:
What They Didn't Teach Me In Food Science

 Next Lesson - Oyster Crackers, Carbonated Water and Spitting
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Stay tuned for more lessons from the lab. 
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