Oilfield, food

1. Food: Xanthan gum is added to many foods as a stabilizer, emulsifier, suspending agent, thickener and processing aid. Xanthan gum can control the rheology, structure, flavor and appearance of the product, and its pseudoplasticity can ensure a good taste, so it is widely used in salad dressings, bread, dairy products, frozen foods, beverages, condiments, brewing, candy, cakes, soups and canned foods. In recent years, people in more developed countries often worry that the calorific value of food is too high and makes them fat. Xanthan gum can not be directly degraded by the human body and dispel people's concerns. In addition, according to a report from Japan in 1985, xanthan gum is the most effective anticancer agent among the 11 food additives tested.

2. Daily chemical industry: Xanthan gum molecules contain a large number of hydrophilic groups. It is a good surfactant and has the effects of anti-oxidation and preventing skin aging. Therefore, almost most high-end cosmetics use xanthan gum as its main functional ingredient. In addition, xanthan gum can also be used as a component of toothpaste to thicken and shape materials and reduce wear on the tooth surface.

3. Medical: Xanthan gum is a functional component in the current popular microcapsule drug material in the world, and plays an important role in controlling drug sustained release; due to its strong hydrophilicity and water retention, it has many specific medical applications, such as forming a dense water film to avoid skin infection; relieving thirst in patients after radiotherapy. In addition, Li Xin, Xu Lei and others have written that xanthan gum itself has a significant enhancing effect on the humoral immune function of mice.

4. Industrial and agricultural applications: In the petroleum industry, due to its strong pseudoplasticity, a low concentration of xanthan gum (0.5%) solution can maintain the viscosity of the drilling fluid and control its rheological properties, so the viscosity is very small at the high-speed rotating drill site, saving power; the relatively static drilling position maintains high viscosity to prevent the well wall from collapsing. And because of its excellent salt resistance and heat resistance, it is widely used in drilling in special environments such as oceans and high-salt zones, and can be used as an oil recovery and displacement agent to reduce dead oil area and increase oil recovery.