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Xanthan Gum gets its name from Xanthomonas campestris, a strain of bacteria used in the production of Xanthan Gum. Although often associated with germs or illness, bacteria are actually very useful in food production. Various strains of bacteria can digest different foods and chemicals, causing them to ferment into different substances (a common example is cheese).
In the 1950s, distinguished scientist Allene Rosalind Jeanes and her team at the US Department of Agriculture discovered that adding *Xanthomonas campestris * to simple corn sugar would turn it into a complex polysaccharide with useful thickening properties. Since then, Xanthan Gum has become a popular thickener and a commonly used chemical in medicine, cosmetics, and toothpaste.