Xanthan gum in food.

What 21 CFR 172.695 covers

Part 172 of Title 21 lists food additives permitted for direct addition to food for human consumption. Section 172.695 opens: "The food additive xanthan gum may be safely used in food in accordance with the following prescribed conditions." Everything after that is a condition. A food maker who wants to use xanthan gum has to satisfy the identity, the strain and process, the specifications, the intended function and the labeling of the additive container. The eCFR text on this page is current through October 29, 2026.

The section is short, but each paragraph does a different job. Paragraphs (a) to (c) say what the additive is and how it must be made. Paragraph (d) gives purity specifications and two identity tests. Paragraph (e) states the permitted uses. Paragraph (f) covers the label of the additive container.

Identity: paragraphs (a) to (c)

• (a) The additive is "a polysaccharide gum derived from Xanthomonas campestris by a pure-culture fermentation process and purified by recovery with isopropyl alcohol." It contains D-glucose, D-mannose and D-glucuronic acid as the dominant hexose units and is manufactured as the sodium, potassium or calcium salt.
• (b) The strain of Xanthomonas campestris is "nonpathogenic and nontoxic in man or other animals."
• (c) The additive is produced by a process that renders it "free of viable cells of Xanthomonas campestris."

Specifications in paragraph (d)

Four tests sit under paragraph (d). Two are numeric purity or performance limits and two are identification procedures.

The locust bean gum test is described step by step in the section: blend 1.0 gram of powdered locust bean gum with 1.0 gram of the powdered polysaccharide, add it to 200 milliliters of distilled water heated to 80 C, stir at least 30 minutes without letting the water fall below 60 C, then cool without agitation for at least 2 hours and examine for a firm rubbery gel below 40 C. A gel that also forms from a 1 percent solution with no locust bean gum indicates a gelling polysaccharide, not xanthan gum.

Permitted uses: paragraph (e)

Paragraph (e) says the additive is "used or intended for use in accordance with good manufacturing practice as a stabilizer, emulsifier, thickener, suspending agent, bodying agent, or foam enhancer in foods for which standards of identity established under section 401 of the Act do not preclude such use."

Two points follow from the wording. First, the six functions listed are the ones this section covers; the section does not list a numeric maximum in parts per million or percent of the food, and instead ties use to good manufacturing practice. Second, where FDA has set a standard of identity for a food under section 401 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and that standard does not allow the ingredient, this section does not override it.

Labeling: paragraph (f)

Paragraph (f) is titled "To assure safe use of the additive" and has two labeling parts, both aimed at the container of the additive rather than the finished food:

• (f)(1): the label of its container shall bear, in addition to other information required by the Act, the name of the additive and the designation "food grade".
• (f)(2): the label or labeling of the food additive container shall bear adequate directions for use.

How an ingredient is declared on a finished food label is governed by the general labeling rules in part 101, not by 172.695. This page does not read those rules.

Worked example with the checker

A supplier reports a lot with 400 ppm residual isopropyl alcohol, 1,200 centipoises viscosity, a 75 F to 150 F ratio of 1.2 and 2.1 percent pyruvic acid. Against the paragraph (d) numbers, 400 is under 750, 1,200 is above 600, 1.2 lies between 1.02 and 1.45, and 2.1 is above 1.5, so each entered value meets its stated limit. The same lot at 900 ppm would be over the (d)(1) ceiling. The checker above compares only what you type and cannot confirm that the test was run the way the section prescribes.

Limits of this page

This page reads one section of the Code of Federal Regulations. It does not say whether a given product is lawfully labeled, whether a standard of identity allows xanthan gum in it, or what any other regulation (for example, allergen, organic or state rules) requires. It does not cover xanthan gum used as a dietary supplement ingredient or in pet food, which sit under different rules. Confirm with the regulatory text in force and, for decisions, with qualified counsel or FDA.

Sources

Sources opened and read November 2, 2026.

• eCFR: 21 CFR 172.695, Xanthan gum (current through October 29, 2026) (read November 2, 2026)
• eCFR: 21 CFR part 172, Food additives permitted for direct addition to food for human consumption (read November 2, 2026)