Xanthan Gum - Is made From Corn Soy or Wheat...

[Joefnh]

In a post yesterday I reported that I reacted quite badly to a new GF pancake mix under the Bisquick label. In doing some research I think I have found that one of the ingredients, xanathan gum can be made form soy or wheat products as well. There are several anecdotal reports of this on the various Coeliac websites and a write up from Wikipedia that state that xanthan gum can be made from corn, wheat or soy stocks.


http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-xanthan-gum.htm (comment in the user responses at the bottom)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthan_gum

From Wikipedia

Xanthan gum and health

Evaluation of workers exposed to xanthan gum dust found evidence that respiratory symptoms were associated with exposure to xanthan gum dust allergies

Xanthan gum may be derived from a variety of source products that are themselves common allergens, such as corn, wheat, or soy. As such, persons with known sensitivities or allergies to food products are advised to avoid foods including generic xanthan gum or first determine the source for the xanthan gum before consuming the food.

Specifically, an allergic response may be triggered in people sensitive to the growth medium, usually corn, soy, or wheat. [7] [8] For example, residual wheat gluten has been detected on xanthan gum made using wheat. [9] This may trigger a response in people highly sensitive to gluten. Some consider this to be a separate allergy to xanthan gum with similar symptoms to gluten allergy. Xanthan gum is a "highly efficient laxative", according to a study that fed 15g/day for 10 days to 18 normal volunteers.[10] Some people react to much smaller amounts of xanthan gum, with symptoms of intestinal bloating and diarrhea. [11]


This morning I contacted General Mills and they did state that the GF mix can and does contain soy in some batches. The labeling has been upgraded on more recent shipments. The box I have does not have the phrase "May Contain Soy"

Click on this link and then the 'Bisquick Gluten Free' link. You will note that it now has the labeling for Soy and apparently that has not always been the case

http://www.generalmills.com/Home/Brands ... 0page.aspx

This flare has been the worst I have ever experienced, bad enough to keep me home form work today.

Moral of the story as we all know, is that soy or wheat can hide just about anywhere.

--Joe

[Rosie]

Great researching, Joe! I hope you gave GM a piece of your mind for their carelessness in not properly labeling the GF Bisquick at the start of manufacturing and making you sick. Soy is one of mandated disclosures, and for a major company to screw up makes me nervous about any labeling.......... If GM has changed the labeling, you obviously weren't the only one who has gotten sick!

You may have saved me from a flare too! I had been considering trying the GF Bisquick, and also being soy intolerant it would have made me sick! So thanks!!

I hope your system settles down soon!

Rosie

[JoAnn]

Joe, I'm so sorry you have had to go through this. I just checked the Xanthan Gum that I use in my bread making. The brand is Authentic Foods and says gluten free-wheat free. I had always assumed all Xanthan Gum was safe for me so I'm glad you have found this information and I will be very cautious about products I buy with this ingredient. Hope you are feeling better soon, JoAnn

[Polly]

Excellent detective work, Joe!

If MC does nothing else, it requires us to become food police, doesn't it? It really is sad that we can't trust labelling...........

Love,

Polly

[Joefnh]

Thanks... Nothing like a life lesson to drive a point home, MC is a tough taskmaster and does not tolerate mistakes at all.

In summary I think it was soy that got me. This being a GF product that later had soy warning labels added, leads me to conclude that the feedstock for making the xanthan gum was most likely soy, why else would they need a warning label on such a simple list of ingredients.


--Joe

[tex]

Joe,

While it is certainly true that many food ingredients can be made from wheat, soybeans, or many other options, that virtually never happens, these days, (except for occasional imported products). The reason is because there are labeling requirements and "guidelines" that specify what may be used as feed stock to make such "standard" items, without specifically noting it on the label. IOW, if you follow the recommended convention, (such as making dextrose from corn), then the label only needs to mention the ingredient, (dextrose). If it is made from any other source, then the source should be specified on the label, (because such use is outside of the recommended USDA or FDA guidelines).

Almost all of those minor ingredients are made from corn, in this country, for one major reason - corn is by far the cheapest feedstock to use for making them. Wheat typically costs from 20 to 50% more than corn, and soybeans cost roughly twice as much as corn. It is rare, (though certainly not impossible), for a manufacturer to choose a more expensive feedstock than is necessary, when turning out such a product, because costs are usually considered down to fractions of a cent, on a unit basis, because when this is extended to the overall volume used in a year's worth of production, the difference can amount to a huge amount of money.

Still, as you say, we always have to expect the unexpected, due to someone making a mistake, somewhere up the line.

Good work. Rather than the xanthan gum would be made from soy, I'll bet that it's made from corn contaminated with soybeans, because that's a common problem in the Midwest, and soybeans in corn are difficult to remove, so such corn sells at a discounted price on the wholesale market. It should go to animal feed, but probably someone thought they would take advantage of a good deal, and use it for making xanthan gum, or else they were unaware of the contamination.

I hope you're back to normal by tomorrow.

Tex

[mbeezie]

Joe,

I'm curious if they told you where the potential soy contamination could come from - did they specifically say it was from the xanthan gum? If they label it they must know where the source of soy is. I know the chocolate chips contain soy lecithin. I am quite soy senitive and never had a problem . . .maybe you got a bad batch . . .maybe your batch of Bisquick was on the equipmqnt right after they made the cookies or brownies. We might never know I guess.

As more major food companies jump on the GF bandwagon I'm sure we'll see more contamination issues. Sigh.

Mary Beth

[Joefnh]

Mary Beth the representative I spoke to did say it was the xanthan gum that 'might' be made from soy in some batches. They have made batches from both soy and corn based xanthan gum, resulting in the change in labeling. With that said, the representative was not the most knowledgeable individual...

I have also been able to tolerate soy lecithin. The Leda GF Tim Tams bisquits that Gabes has a few of us hooked on have soy lecithin and those settle fine. Does soy lecithin have the part of the soybean that causes the reaction or is it like ghee which is just the oil component of butter?

--Joe

[hoosier1]

Joe,

Good research. Thanks for sharing that. Check another ingredient off the list.

Rich

[Joefnh]

As a followup to this thread, today I called Bobs Red Mill and King Aurthur flour who both sell GF products that use xanthan gum and also sell xanthan gum individually. After finding the right person at both facilities, I got the same story that xanthan gum can and is made from both corn and or soy depending on where the bulk material is purchased from.

In talking with one of the more knowledgeable people at Bobs Red Mill, it seems that like Tex stated the corn can be mixed with soy, and in several cases the xanthan gum is purchased in bulk fairly cheaply from overseas sources that is made solely from soy beans. It would seem that if it does contain soy the labeling laws would require mentioning it in their ingredients list.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/xanthan-gum.html

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/glutenfree/


-Joe

[Robbie]

What good info, Joe. I don't understand our labeling laws. It almost seems as though there is usually a way to get around them so consumers get left holding the bag. I was doing a lot of research on MSG recently and read that the FDA has cracked down on companies that state their product has no MSG when it actually does. The claim is that the product does not have MSG as an ingredient, but that some of the ingredients turn into MSG when processed. I had an older can of soup in the cupboard that said "No MSG" on the label. Then I noticed newer labels actually say "No added MSG". So, I guess the info I was reading last summer was accurate. I need to do more research on it, but there is no rush. I've been avoiding MSG like the plague because it was raising my blood pressure and making my heart pound out of my chest (at least I think it was the MSG - partly, anyway). And I'm 99% certain it causes D for me, but since I started avoiding it months before I started paying such close attention to my diet and D pattern I can't really be sure without consuming it, and that just ain't gonna happen.

I'm so sorry you've been doing so poorly. I hope you get much better very, very soon!

[Rosie]

Good detective work, Joe! But I hate to say that xanthan gum made from soybeans or corn contaminated with soy appears to be an item that could fairly easily slip by the QA people. That appears to have happened with your GF Bisquick, and General Mills is a very major company!! As Mad Eye Moody from "Harry Potter" would say......"Constant vigilance!!"

Rosie

[Gabes-Apg]

Interestingly for me, i find i react 5 times worse to soy than dairy.

which is what has made eating out and socialising very limited as there is so much hidden soy (moreso than gluten or yeast)

I am very lucky here in Oz, all the GF products that are YF and SF etc are very clearly labelled, the companies here have a great reputation. for the small amt of packaged products i buy majority are the Orgran brand, they are not the cheapest but i figure you get what you pay for.

[Joefnh]

Gabes that's the same for me, my reaction to dairy is fairly mild as I can even stand a small amount of cream in my coffee. I certainly cannot have a glass of milk or bowl of ice cream, but a couple of teaspoons is fine.

After last weekend I am wondering if I react to soy more than gluten...

I mentioned in another post that I have had a hard time tolerating the GF Tim Tams this week after the exposure to soy last weekend. Those do have a bit of soy lecithin, but did not seem to bother me before. My guess is that the quantity is quite small.

I did notice that while in Oz last summer that the dietary issues are addressed much better than here in the US. Certainly there is a much increased awareness and a more tolerant attitude towards dietary intolerances.

--Joe

[tex]

Joe,

You may be able to tolerate the soy lecithin in the Tim Tams after you get the soy overload out of your system. It is almost surely a dosage problem, and you just had too much soy over a short period of time. After a few days of abstaining from all soy, you may be able to handle the Tim Tams again.

Incidentally, I tried the maple syrup on some pancakes. It was superb.

I'm still saving the Tim Tams and the maple sugar for the holidays, though.

Tex