Xanthan gum to be produced locally

Ashok B Sharma in New Delhi

Commercially very useful, industrially important, hitherto imported ‘Xanthan gum’ is to be produced indigenously soon.

The gum is a bacterial product meant for use in food, pharma and industrial sectors besides in oil drilling industry for the enhancement of crude recovery.

The compound, a bacterial polysaccharide is widely used for value- addition. It is estimated that the demand for the gum in the country at present is around 300 tonne per annum (tpa).

It will prove to be an important import-substitute in the near future when the Hyderabad-based Shriram Biotech Ltd starts its production to its fullest capacity.