Xanthan gum is a common food additive. It is made by fermenting simple sugars with the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris, from which it gets its name.

Other additive gums, like Guar Gum and Gum Arabic are natural gums made from legumes in the Fabaceae family of plants. Xanthan Gum is often referred to as a microbial or synthetic gum.

Processed additives have an E-Number to help easily identify them on products, the E-Number for xanthan gum is E415.

Xanthan Gum is naturally gluten-free and is used as an additive in lots of gluten free foods as it gives foods the stickiness associated with gluten.

There have been cases of allergic reactions after ingestion of foods containing xanthan gum and contact allergic reactions, though no specific allergen has been identified. The bacteria from which it is made needs a growth medium, this could be corn, wheat, potato soya or milk bases. It is not usually stated on ingredient labels how xanthan gum is processed, so it is thought that those who are extremely sensitive to certain foods could still have an allergic reaction to this type of gum.

Xanthan Gum is a low FODMAP food. FODMAP stands for Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Foods high in FODMAPs can cause symptoms of food intolerance, affecting the gastro intestinal system and this can be mistaken for a true IgE food allergy.

Xanthan Gum is also low in salicylates. Salicylates have the potential to cause worsening of asthma, swelling, itching and hives as well as food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

You can read more about Food Intolerances on the dedicated Food Intolerance Page.

Xanthan Gum is not currently associated with any allergic syndromes.

There are no allergens associated with xanthan gum to date.

Cross Reactivity food lists are not exhaustive, you can find the most up to date information on the Cross Reactivity Tool.

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