Is Xanthan Gum Halal?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
Xanthan gum is made from the fermentation of carbohydrates (sugars). The bacteria strain Xanthomonas campestris is fed with carbohydrates and metabolizes the sugars into a liquid solution. The solution is mixed with alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol) which causes the gum to separate from the water. The gum is then rinsed, dried, and ground.
The carbohydrate used for the xanthan gum can be derived from cane sugar, lactose (dairy), corn, or wheat. While in Europe, wheat sweeteners are commonly used. Ethanol can be derived from grapes (non-kosher), and lactose (dairy) alcohol will remain in the xanthan gum.
It is hard to know which alcohol is used, so what should I do?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good faith and health.
Xanthan gum is halal and permissible. The E-number is 415 and is classified as permissible and halal by SANHA. Its alternative names are Corn sugar gum; Polysaccharide B-1459. Please take a look at the link below.
If wine (khamr) is used in food preparation, it is not permissible to consume, even if the alcohol evaporates in the process. However, when chemical alcohol is used as a tool to extract flavor or scent, like in the case of Xanthan gum, then it is permissible. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
It should be noted that any organic compound that carries at least one hydroxyl functional group (−OH) bound to a saturated carbon atom is alcohol. Thus, hundreds of chemical and artificial alcohols do not fall within the prohibited wine alcohol (khamr).
Chewing gum can contain up to 75% by weight sugar alcohols such as mannitol, maltitol sorbitol, and xylitol. These sugar alcohol are chemically very different from alcohol (ethanol) which is contained in alcoholic beverages.
Related:
- Can We Use Deodorants, Creams, and Perfumes That Contain Alcohol?
- South African National Halaal Authority – E415 (Xanthan gum)
- Re-evaluation of xanthan gum (E 415) as a food additive | EFSA
- Xanthan gum – Food Ingredient Facts
- Halal Certified Xanthan Gum
- Is Xanthan Gum Vegan? | VeganFriendly
- Halal Certified Xanthan Gum
- Xanthan Gum — Is This Food Additive Healthy or Harmful?
- Is Tamari That Has Alcohol Added as a Preservative Allowed?
- Is It Permissible to Consume Food to Which Alcohol Has Been Added for Flavor?
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I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel is a traditionally-trained scholar who has studied in the UK, India, Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, and Turkey. He started his early education in the UK. He went on to complete the hifz of the Quran in India, then enrolled in an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied the secular and ‘Aalimiyya sciences. He then traveled to Karachi, Pakistan. He has been an Imam in Rep of Ireland for several years. He has taught hifz of the Quran, Tajwid, Fiqh, and many other Islamic sciences to children and adults onsite and online extensively in the UK and Ireland. He taught at a local Islamic seminary for 12 years in the UK, where he was a librarian and a teacher of Islamic sciences. He currently resides in the UK with his wife. His interest is a love of books and gardening.
