The global hydrocolloids market reached approximately USD 13.6 billion in 2025, driven by the compounds’ broad applicability across food, beverage, and industrial applications. Xanthan gum and guar gum both thicken and stabilise, but they do so by different mechanisms, and knowing when to use one over the other is an important consideration.
What are xanthan gum and guar gum?
Xanthan gum is a microbial exopolysaccharide composed of a high-molecular-weight polymer built on a cellulosic backbone (β-1,4-linked glucose) with trisaccharide side chains of mannose and glucuronic acid. Those charged side chains fold against the backbone to form a helical structure that remains rigid at low shear and flows freely below those levels, and it’s this that gives xanthan its pseudoplasticity.
Guar gum is a galactomannan milled from the endosperm of Cyamopsis tetragonoloba and has a linear mannose backbone that carries a galactose side chain at roughly every second unit, producing high viscosity at low shear but none of the structural rigidity that gives xanthan gum its thermal and pH range.
The global hydrocolloids market is projected to grow to USD 14.4 billion in 2026. Xanthan gum remains a significant growth segment, supported by its use in clean-label, gluten-free, and plant-based formulations. Both gums sit within a wider toolkit that also includes gellan gum, locust bean gum, and carrageenan, each detailed in the comparison table below.
Explore more about xanthan gum in our guide to uses, safety, and formulation.
How are xanthan gum and guar gum produced?
The production route determines what variability looks like and whether that variability can be controlled.
How is xanthan gum made?
Xanthan gum is produced by aerobic submerged fermentation of carbohydrate substrates by using Xanthomonas campestris, then precipitated from the broth and dried to a milled powder. Because the process runs closed and instrumented (temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen all held within defined limits), the polymer’s molecular performance and viscosity profile remain reproducible across batches wherever process control is maintained.
How is guar gum made?
Guar gum is made from guar seeds by separating the husk and germ from the seed and grinding the split endosperm into gum powder. Supply is geographically concentrated, with India accounting for roughly 80% of global guar production, much of it from Rajasthan, and annual output varies with monsoon rainfall.
Why spec sheets alone do not predict real-world performance
It’s worth noting that guar grades from different regions or harvests can meet the same viscosity specification yet still behave differently in the finished product because galactomannan content and particle size vary in ways a spec sheet was never built to capture. Xanthan gum is not exempt from this problem, since the polymer is not fully defined, so different suppliers can deliver material that matches an identical paper specification yet performs differently under real conditions.
Gum specification can confirm a powder meets key parameters, but it doesn’t confirm how that powder behaves in a new system. The process behind production, i.e., the consistency of the organism and substrate, the recovery method, and the grade selected for the job, will be better predictors of quality.
Jungbunzlauer produces more than 30 specialised xanthan gum grades, spanning clarity, high-viscosity, and acid-stable types, each made through controlled fermentation at the Pernhofen facility, which is certified to ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, GMP+, and Responsible Care schemes.
Key functional differences in common texturants
Xanthan gum is effective at use levels as low as 0.05%, whereas guar gum generally needs 0.2–0.5% to reach comparable viscosity in aqueous systems at ambient temperature. The table below sets xanthan gum, guar gum, gellan gum, and locust bean gum against the properties that most often decide a formulation.
| Property | Xanthan Gum | Guar Gum | Gellan Gum | Locust Bean Gum |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pseudoplasticity (shear-thinning) | Strong; rapid viscosity recovery on removal of shear | Moderate; less defined recovery | Gel-forming (LA); low pseudoplasticity | Low; requires partner hydrocolloid |
Effective use level | 0.05–0.5% | 0.2–0.5% | 0.05–0.25% | 0.2–0.5% |
Temperature stability | Stable 0–80oC; little viscosity change | Degrades above ~80oC | Stable; thermal reversibility at ~80oC | Stable up to ~80oC; gels on cooling |
pH stability | pH 2–12 | pH 5–7; limited acid tolerance | Broadly stable across food pH range | pH 4–8 |
Freeze-thaw stability | Good | Poor; viscosity loss on thawing | Grade-dependent | Poor |
Synergy with galactomannans | Strong synergy with locust bean gum and guar gum | Synergy with LBG (HA grades) | Synergy with xanthan and HA gellan | |
Clarity | Variable; CS-grade xanthan gives clear solutions | Opaque to slightly hazy | High clarity (LA grades) | Turbid |
Production origin | Microbial fermentation | Crop-derived (India: ~80% supply) | Microbial fermentation | Crop-derived (Mediterranean) |
| Manufactured by Jungbunzlauer | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Jungbunzlauer manufactures 40+ grades of xanthan gum, as well as three custom gellan gums: TayaGel® HA, TayaGel® LA, and TayaGel® Modus.
Application-by-application comparison
The right choice comes down to what the formulation must withstand (temperature, pH, shear, freeze-thaw) and what the label needs to say.
Sauces and dressings
Xanthan gum’s pseudoplastic profile suits acidified sauces and dressings, as it has high viscosity at rest and maintains the emulsion on standing, while its low viscosity under shear allows the product to pump and pour cleanly. That behavior is consistent across the acidic range of vinaigrettes, hot sauces, and condiments. Guar gum isn’t suitable below pH 5, as it loses viscosity and is prone to hydrolytic degradation.
For an ambient, neutral-pH product led by cost (e.g., some culinary sauces, certain baby foods) guar gum remains a good choice, but with the addition of pasteurization, cold storage, or acidity, xanthan gum is a better choice.
Dairy alternatives
Ultra-heat treatment (UHT), high-speed homogenization, and a long refrigerated shelf life make plant-based dairy a challenging environment for any hydrocolloid. Guar gum thins during high-temperature processing, whereas xanthan gum maintains its viscosity and, being compatible with protein systems in plant-based milks and creamers, maintains suspension and mouthfeel without producing an off-flavor.
Set-style and spoonable formats require more than thickening alone, and here TayaGel® HA, paired with xanthan gum, delivers a gelation-and-suspension combination that neither can achieve alone. Guar gum remains useful for cold-water viscosity when used in an ambient-stable format.
Gluten-free bakery
Removing gluten from a baked product removes the viscoelastic network that holds dough together, traps gas during proofing, and builds the crumb. Xanthan gum at 0.2–0.5% of flour weight rebuilds a usable part of that network, binding water and lifting crumb structure and shelf life beyond what most alternatives achieve at the same dose. Guar gum provides water retention and softness, making it a valid option alongside xanthan.
Explore more about xanthan gum uses in food in our full guide.
Industrial applications
Acid stability, strong pseudoplasticity, and tolerance of high-electrolyte environments make xanthan gum the standard across oilfield drilling fluids, agricultural sprays, and water-based paints and coatings, and Jungbunzlauer’s acid-stable and clear-solution grades are built for exactly these conditions.
Guar gum remains viable for hydraulic fracturing, where high viscosity at low shear rates across large volumes makes its lower cost attractive, but its thermal and pH limits confine it to cooler wells. Past roughly 150 °C, guar gum degrades, whereas xanthan gum, especially in modified forms, extends the working range well beyond that point.
When to use xanthan gum and guar gum together
Texturant systems rarely rely on a single hydrocolloid working in isolation. Formulators often combine two or more ingredients to reach a target viscosity, texture or stability profile that no single ingredient delivers on its own, frequently at a lower total use level than a single-ingredient system would require. [SME VERIFY]
Jungbunzlauer’s technical team works directly with formulators on these combined systems, drawing on the manufacturer’s expertise across its texturant portfolio to identify which combinations perform best for a given application.
Within Jungbunzlauer’s own range, xanthan gum and gellan gum (as TayaGel® HA and TayaGel® LA) can be combined to build gel-forming systems for desserts and beverages, with the two grades offering complementary textures depending on the ratio used. [SME VERIFY] Jungbunzlauer’s blending capability allows these optimised combinations to be trialled and supplied as a single ingredient, removing the need for formulators to source and blend components separately.
Regulatory status and compliance
Both gums are approved as food additives in every major regulatory framework, with a long history of safe use. In the US, xanthan gum is affirmed as food additive approved under 21 CFR § 172.695 and guar gum under 21 CFR § 184.1339. In the EU, they are E415 and E412, respectively, both authorized under Annex II of Regulation (EC) No. 1333/2008 at quantum satis. EFSA’s 2017 re-evaluation of xanthan gum found no safety concern at current use levels and assigned an acceptable daily intake of “not specified,” the highest classification available (EFSA, 2017, EFSA Journal), a conclusion its 2023 consideration upheld. Both appear in the Codex Alimentarius General Standard for Food Additives.
For nutraceutical and pharmaceutical work, USP and Ph. Eur. monograph compliance becomes a real point of difference since not every xanthan supplier can demonstrate it. Jungbunzlauer’s xanthan gum grades include options compliant with both pharmacopoeias. Halal and kosher certification is straightforward for plant-derived guar gum, where xanthan gum needs the additional confirmation that neither substrate nor process aid is animal-derived. Every Jungbunzlauer food-grade xanthan gum grade runs on non-GMO substrates and holds both Kosher and Halal certification.
How to choose between xanthan gum and guar gum
Xanthan gum is the right choice wherever the formulation calls for pseudoplastic flow, acid stability, heat tolerance, freeze-thaw performance, or low use levels where cost-in-use outweighs unit price. Guar gum remains useful at ambient temperature and neutral pH, where cost dominates, and the system can accommodate higher addition levels without destabilizing.
For procurement teams, sourcing geography can be a quality and compliance concern. Guar gum’s supply is structurally exposed because it’s concentrated in a single geography and sensitive to seasonal yields. Fermentation-based xanthan gum addresses each point differently, with price stability through back-integrated production, full traceability, and food safety ensured through thorough quality management. However, xanthan gum has faced border rejections across the EU when coming from countries outside the EU (such as China).
Frequent Asked Questions
No, because guar gum needs roughly two to four times the concentration to approach comparable viscosity, and even then it won’t reproduce xanthan’s shear-thinning recovery, acid tolerance, or freeze-thaw stability. Consider a blend instead.
xpBoth are plant-derived and non-allergenic. Xanthan gum requires an additional check to ensure that the substrate and process aids are animal-free. Jungbunzlauer’s grades are produced on non-GMO substrates and carry Kosher, Halal, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Vegan certifications.
Yes, measurably so. Adding xanthan to a guar solution raises combined viscosity above the additive sum through association between xanthan’s side chains and the unsubstituted mannose segments of guar’s backbone. Worth tuning the ratios in cost-sensitive formulations.
Based on current evidence, xanthan gum is. Fermentation output doesn’t follow weather, harvest, or a single region, and contamination is controlled at the process level. Guar gum moves with the Indian monsoon and carries season-to-season variation a spec sheet won’t catch.
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