xanthan gum is a very effective thickener. it is stable under a wide range of temperatures and ph. only 0.5% of xanthan gum is added to most foods to thicken them. the thickening property of xanthan gum decreases when a food is mixed, shaken or chewed, but it thickens up again when the force is removed. this property is called pseudoplasticity. sometimes this property can be very useful. for instance, the xanthan gum added to salad dressing makes the dressing thick enough to cling to a salad, but shaking the bottle of dressing makes it temporarily thin and easier to pour.