GELLAN GUM CAS：71010-52-1
Gellan Gum – Key Product Advantages
Potent Gelation at Low Dosage: Forms gels at concentrations as low as 0.05%, with typical usage at just 0.1%–0.3%. Gels are highly transparent and exhibit remarkable thermal hysteresis: they set between 30–45°C, yet can withstand melting temperatures above 100°C when divalent cations are present, ensuring superior heat resistance.
Excellent System Stability: Demonstrates high stability to heat and across a wide pH range (3.5–8.0), with gel strength unaffected by pH fluctuations or storage conditions, providing a long shelf life for acidic gels. In liquid food systems, it delivers excellent suspension and thickening capabilities, effectively preventing ingredient sedimentation and phase separation.
Safe and Biocompatible: An extracellular polysaccharide produced by microbial fermentation, gellan gum is recognized as a non-toxic and biodegradable material. It has an oral acute toxicity (LD₅₀) of >5 g/kg in rats and is designated Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. FDA. Its proven biocompatibility has expanded its application into advanced drug delivery systems and tissue engineering scaffolds.
Excellent Blendability: Compatibly blends with various hydrocolloids, including xanthan gum, locust bean gum, gelatin, and alginates, creating synergistic effects. For instance, a specific blend with xanthan and locust bean gum significantly reduces gel brittleness. The dry powder form offers ease of storage and transport, dissolving upon heating and setting upon cooling with high industrial processing tolerance.
Gellan Gum – Product Details
Gellan gum is an anionic, linear extracellular polysaccharide produced primarily by the bacterium Sphingomonas elodea (formerly Pseudomonas elodea) through pure-culture fermentation of carbohydrate substrates, followed by purification via isopropyl alcohol precipitation. With a molecular weight of approximately 500,000 Daltons and CAS number 71010-52-1, it typically appears as a white to brown, free-flowing powder.
As for its gelling properties, the gelation mechanism is indeed thermoreversible (forming a double-helix crosslinked network upon cooling). However, through the participation of divalent cations such as Ca²⁺ or Mg²⁺, it can form thermally irreversible gels with remarkable thermal hysteresis. Regarding purity specifications, CO₂ yield (representing polysaccharide purity) ranges from 3.3%–6.8%, loss on drying is typically controlled at ≤15%, and the pH of a 2% aqueous solution falls within 5.0–7.5.
Owing to its excellent suspension stability, the addition of high-acyl gellan gum at just 0.02%–0.03% in acidic protein beverages or high-fiber juices effectively prevents fruit sedimentation and provides a clean, non-sticky mouthfeel. The ingredient has been widely adopted internationally with the food additive code E418. As a high-performance rheology modifier and an agar substitute in plant tissue culture media, it is now employed as a multifunctional ingredient in skincare formulations and oilfield chemicals.
