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Weissenberg effect - xanthan gum.

IanD

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When I incorporated xanthan gum into my almond cake/bread mix I was reminded of the dear Dr Weissenberg, whom I met at an "Oil & Colour Chemists" exhibition 45 years ago.

My mix climbed up the mixer instead of flowing out. It went up the beaters into the mechanism.

Dr Weissenberg studied the properties of such mixes, & indentified them as "viscoelastic." He even devised a "rheogoniometer" to quantify the viscoelastic properties of such fluids.

In a simple "Newtonian" fluid direction of flow is in the direction of the applied force, so mixing is straightforward.

In a viscoelastic fluid the energy input is to some extent recoverable, so that flow is in all directions, especially upwards, where there is no constraint. If you are careless, the mix can climb the beaters & let go once it gets above the level of the container, spraying the mix on the kitchen & the chef.

I had used xanthan gum previously for stiffer bread type mixes using the dough hooks, which are designed to push the mix down.

Note: xanthan gum is used to bind a mix together in the absence of gluten, egg, or other binders.
 
I wish I knew what you were on about, or were you just chatting to yourself - out loud, so to speak.
 
dawnmc said:
I wish I knew what you were on about, or were you just chatting to yourself - out loud, so to speak.
Click to expand...
There is a science to mixing :crazy:

Note: xanthan gum is used to bind a mix together in the absence of gluten, egg, or other binders.
Click to expand...

I first heard of it in a "New Scientist" article on how to make bread from available flour in countries where where (& other gluten-containing cereals) were not grown.

My almond cake/bread with xanthan gum rose nicely but collapsed on cooling. My wife used it accidentally instead of baking powder & finished up with "disaster cake." :thumbdown:
 
But what did it taste like? Food can be ugly but taste fab.
 
Now I add about 1/3 teasp xanthan gum to my mix & about 1 1/2 tsp baking powder to my cake-bread mix.

It mixes OK & rises & bakes OK. It gives a firm enough product to be able to turn out a 250 mm (9 1/2 in) dianeter cake without breaking. Previously I was cutting it up before removal from the baking dish.
 
Xanthan gum is polysaccharose and come from starch; it can work as thickener and suspending agent, as it can enlarge liquid viscosity, but it need dissolve into Liquid first when you use xanthan gum into your food, as it need dissolve into water by high speed mixer
 

Without meaning to advertise, I've used Doves Gluten Free, Wheat Free flour (which includes xanthan) for my son's girlfriend who is celiac. Getting the right mix for a pizza and rolling it out is a bit of a fine art, but I think I have got there after a number of experiments. Of course, since xanthan is secreted from a (harmless) bacterium, it may not appeal to hard-core veggies or vegans :mrgreen:
 
I use Xanthan gum ocassionaly when breadmaking, it's a ****** to get dissolved in water as it tends to clump too easily, I usually mix it in an eggcup and use one of those battery powered milk frothing whisks, works a treat. Don't use it that often though as it can cause stomach upsets.
 

Yes, it's a very strange liquid when it goes in the breadmaker. I've made a couple of pizza using far less liquid but that is a delicate operation requiring the skills of a surgeon.

By the way, if the battery powered milk frothing whisk is giving you stomach upsets, don't stick it in your mouth! :twisted:
 

Xanthan gum is just polysaccharose and its come from starch by fermentation
 

Xanthan is a polysaccharide secreted by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris and processed into gum.
 
I do xanthan gum business for many years, usually we told our customer, xanthan gum is secreted by the bacterium Xanthomonas campestis and processed into gum and we get that from internet, but in fact, that is wrong, we just use hydrolysis technology to produce xanthan gum, that means we use hydrolysis technology to change starch into polysaccharose, as xanthan gum is polysaccharose, and we need to use Xanthomonas campestis during hydrolysis
 

Thanks for that. I shall be able to impress my friends with that info!!
 
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