COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 231/2012 of 9 March 2012
Synonyms
Definition
Xanthan gum is a high molecular weight polysaccharide gum produced by a pure-culture fermentation of a carbohydrate with strains of Xanthomonas campestris, purified by recovery with ethanol or propan-2-ol, dried and milled. It contains D-glucose and D-mannose as the dominant hexose units, along with D-glucuronic acid and pyruvic acid, and is prepared as the sodium, potassium or calcium salt. Its solutions are neutral
Einecs: 234-394-2
Chemical name:
Chemical formula:
Molecular weight: Approximately 1 000 000
Assay: Yields, on dried basis, not less than 4,2 % and not more than 5 % of CO 2 corresponding to between 91 % and 108 % of xanthan gum
Description
Cream-coloured powder
Identification
Solubility: Soluble in water. Insoluble in ethanol
Purity
Loss on drying: Not more than 15 % (105 °C, 2,5 hours)
Total ash: Not more than 16 % on the anhydrous basis determined at 650 °C after drying at 105 °C for four hours
Pyruvic acid: Not less than 1,5 %
Nitrogen: Not more than 1,5 %
Ethanol and propan-2-ol: Not more than 500 mg/kg singly or in combination
Lead: Not more than 2 mg/kg
Microbiological criteria
Total plate count: Not more than 5 000 colonies per gram
Yeast and moulds: Not more than 300 colonies per gram
Escherichia coli: Absent in 5 g
Salmonella spp.: Absent in 10 g
Xanthomonas campestris: Viable cells absent in 1 g