Does Xantham Gum Suggest Gluten-free?

[misseditbythatmuch]

When I have seen xantham gum on an ingredient label, I have often not seen anything else that would clearly indicate that it has gluten, though sometimes there could be items such as "natural or artificial flavours".

Consider xantham gum is relatively expensive, does the use of xantham gum suggest that the maker of the product is using it to make it gluten-free? Or might it just simply be the best ingredient for them to use to get the texture they want?

[Mother of Jibril]

Xantham gum is a food additive (a polysaccharide) "produced by a bacterium that is fed corn to grow." Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it: Open Original Shared Link

It's often used to hold baked goods together in the absence of gluten, but there's no gluten in the xantham gum itself. It can be used in any kind of product, gluten-free or not.

[misseditbythatmuch]

I understand that it can be used in any kind of product, gluten-free or not. Considering the expense of xantham gum, is this true in practice? Or is xantham-gum mostly used in gluten-free items? I have not done a survey orfproducts since I was thought about this question, but my recollection is that whenever I have seen xantham gum in products, I have not seen other gluten-containing ingredients on the list.

[psawyer]

I don't know if it is used in products that also contain gluten, but I certainly would not assume that just because a product contains xanthan gum that the product is gluten-free.

[misseditbythatmuch]

I certainly agree that it is no guarantee. I am just wondering if it is actually true in practice in most (not all) cases.

[RiceGuy]

I suppose in the case of breads, I wouldn't expect xanthan gum to be used for wheat-based breads, but that doesn't mean it won't be. However, one should never draw any conclusions based on the presence of xanthan in any product. If you're reading the label to find the xanthan, you should find the gluten-containing ingredients too.

Many other types of products use xanthan as well, including non-dairy milks, low-fat spreads, yogurts, etc. It's not only used in the absence of gluten.

[Guhlia]

I have seen xantham gum in many products that also contain gluten... Usually not in bread, but frequently in other things.

[larry mac]

Absolutely not.

Xanthan gum is a very common thickener used in many, many food items. Just about every food product that's thickened (without using wheat flour as the thickener) has xanthan gum, guar gum, or often both. Ice cream, salad dressings, and mayonaise for instance.

best regards, lm