Why I’m keeping Xanthan Gum in my salad dressing

Guar gum VS Chia seeds VS Flaxseeds VS Xanthan gum

When I first bottled my salad dressing, I noticed that after a few days of bottling it, the ingredients started to separate. With the amount of cheese that is used in Sensation salad dressing, it looks really ugly after a few days.

I was proud of it at first, it definitely was a conversation starter, I was promoting it as all natural and separation is ok. Further more, I realized that when you pour it on a salad, the cheese stays on the top and the oil drops to the bottom of the bowl. At the end of that day, I realized what it is — a salad dressing, and if the taste profile isn’t what it should be, it’s not going to work.

I researched the most popular types of bonding agents/stabilizers and browsed through the isles of natural salad dressings to see what they use. By far, the most common bonding agent in salad dressings is xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is an all-purpose thickener/stabilizer for dressing, gravies, sauces, and an ideal substitute for gluten in baking.

Ok, I thought — let’s try it. I bounce the idea off a food scientist and he said xanthan gum would be a perfect fit, he gave me the recommend 5% xanthan gum per bottle. So, without testing it, I made a batch of 600+ bottles, and it was so thick we could barely sir the batch. It was unbelievable, some customers called it yogurt. Note this, xanthan gum is EXTREMELY potent and when combined with thick oils (EVOO) and a lot of cheese, it will turn your salad dressing into mayo. After doing small-batch testing, the amount I ended up using is about .17% per bottle — a little goes a long way.

What’s wrong with Xanthan gum?

The number one thing I hate about it, is its name. Xanthan gum — it just an ugly name. Another thing, some people claim that the micro-organism is typically made with soy or corn, which could cause corn allergy problems, and aren’t exactly gluten free — and xanthan gum is a suppose to be substitute in gluten-free foods.

So being that I’m in the food industry, I wanted to see what else was out there. I came across these as other options:

Guar Gum (amazon)
Guar gum was the best substitute I’ve found matched up with xanthan gum. While it might come from a more natural source, the guar bean, its biggest flaw in my case is that it loses its thickening power when combined with acidic ingredients (lemons/vinegar). And my salad dressing naturally has high acidity, in-which over time the bottom of the bottle generates this nasty, gel-like, substance. Guar gum is best to use in cold foods such as ice cream, but not for a high acidic salad dressing.

Ground Flaxseeds (amazon)
Flaxseeds are amazing. They have thickening/emulsifying abilities, are high in fiber, are a source of Omega 3, and can lower cholesterol. However, they don’t match up to the thickening power of the gums and leave a nutty flavor.

Ground Chia seeds (Whole Foods)
These little seeds are great and they actually have more nutrition than flaxseeds, they also have more thickening power and last longer (shelf life). I will continue to experiment with chia seeds in my salad dressings to find a better match, but being that Sensation salad dressing has soo much cheese, it’s un-matched to xanthan gum. Chia seeds are also great to add thickening to fresh juice, smoothie, oatmeal, cereal, or sprinkle over a salad.

Others I ruled out
Here’s a few other bonding agents I came across but didn’t use, and why.

• Ground Coconut: Not as good of a thickener as the others, and adds a coconut flavor.
• Agar agar: (AKA  Japanese gelatin) Made from a seaweed, however it’s expensive and isn’t as thick.
• Gelatin: It’s made from animal bones and pig skin, stay the hell away from this — get rid of the jello.
• Barley: Not as thick, I want to say away from gluten, and it leaves a nutty flavor.
• Cornstarch: Well, while it’s hard to find a quality (non-gmo) corn that is actually gluten-free — I wanted a better quality ingredient.
• Arrowroot: A starch from rootstock yet measure 2:1 for chia seeds, not a good bonding agent.

Video
Here’s a video I made to show how each of these ingredients worked in my salad dressing as well as in water for texture comparison: xanthan gum vs guar gum vs flaxseeds vs chia seeds.

Back to the Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is the perfect bonding agent/emulsifier for an all natural salad dressing because it doesn’t lose the bonding capabilities like the guar gum and it is from a plant-base source. However, if you are using it for baking, I recommend using ground chia seeds or ground flaxseeds as an alternative. They work well as a good bonding agent and don’t have to compete with the acidy of a salad dressing.

In a search to find the best possible xanthan gum I could get, I found that Bob’s Red Mill (amazon link) makes the finest. They use a glucose solution that is made from wheat instead of corn (unlike others) to feed the microorganism. That’s what I use.

I just have to suck it up and deal with its ugly name on the back of my bottle for now. At the end of the day, it has to taste great, function properly, and be as authentic as possible. I want to be proud to put this on the dinner table for my family.

Jared Loftus: Shake Them Haters Off (The DOcast)

Jared Loftus getting cozy with the t-shirt business.

Spotting a trend for an entrepreneur is hard, repeatedly capitalizing on a trend is even harder. Jared Loftus founded Tiger District after LSU’s ’03 SEC Championship game, brought one of the first food trucks (Taco de Paco & Ninja Snowballs) to the area, and launched the first co-working space for entrepreneurs in Baton Rouge, LA. He’s also on the board of C.A.T.S. (Capital Area Transit System), puts together a free art gallery, and raps on his free time.

I had a chance to sit down with him at Louisiana Tech Park in Baton Rouge, the headquarters for College District, to talk about his journey and how he got started.

Be sure to get a pen and a pad, his story is jam-packed with ideas and tips to grow your business.

Interview with Jared Loftus

Sponsored by: Hanley’s Foods — Louisiana-inspired, natural, fresh foods.

• Where did you grow up? (02:42)
• How Tiger District get started? (04:18)
• When did you know to make the move from brick & mortar to online? (08:50)
• When did you know to move online? (14:08)
• “The store was the cash cow, but it had limited capacity.”
• How did you begin to market it online? (16:34)
• “We track every-single link we put out.”
• Google URL Builder (tool reference)
• “90% of our ad-spend is on Facebook.”
• How do you staff each district? (24:50)
• People talk a lot of trash in college football (26:01)
• “There is always going to be haters, always.”
• What struck you to start a food truck? (27:34)
• Springwise.com (weekly email on entrepreneurial trends)
• “We’ve done so much business on craigslist, it’s like a gold mine of resources.”
• “There are a few things more permeant than cutting a hole in the side of a vehicle.”
• Jared cutting a hole in the Ninja Snowball truck (video)
• How important is social media with food trucks? (33:35)
• How did you come up with the name Taco de Paco? (36:38)
• Dat Foo! on WAFB (local tv segment)
• How do you find locations (food truck)? (39:09)
• “I dislike the title of Serial Entrepreneur.”
• Are the businesses balanced now? (41:53)
• “Starting with multiple business is a recipe for disaster, start with one and focus.”
• How did you spot the co-working trend? (45:03)
• “There’s a difference between spotting trends and spotting trends where you are.”
• What do you like to do outside the office/food truck? (50:55)
• Zapp’s Beerfest
• Acquire board game (amazon link)
• What’s a book, a song, and quote you love? (53:48)
  • Book: Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk (audiobook version is narrated by him and it’s off script) & The War of Art by Steven Pressfield (book on amazon)
  • Song: With My Own Two Hands — Ben Harper (video) & Stevie Wonder
  • Quote: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
    — Theodore Roosevelt
• “This entrepreneur thing is tuff, you’ve got to surround yourself with good people, whether they work for you or not.”
• What’s next for you and where can people find you? (1:02:13)
• “Don’t get caught up in your hype.”
• GIVEAWAY: Simply comment on below for your chance to win a College District t-shirt! The winner will be randomly selected on 4/3/13.

Check out Jared at:
Website: CollegeDistrict.com
Twitter: @JaredLoftus
About.me: about.me/JaredLoftus

Play the interview
The DOcast is a series of interviews from amazing entrepreneurs who are doing the unthinkable. With topics on how they got started, where they’re going, and how you can learn from them.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

DO it big.

Dan Andrews: The Travel + Business Hacker (The DOcast)

Dan Andrews at his lifestyle entrepreneur incubator in Bali dubbed as the Tropical MBA

If you where to look up the definition of lifestyle design, you would see the name Dan Andrews, along with “yeah buddy”. Like many of us in the beginning, he use to work 60+ unfulfilling hours for someone else. Now, he has built an multi-million dollar business while traveling to exotic locations all over the world. He’s the host of the Lifestyle Business Podcast (inspired me to start my own business), Tropical Talk Radio (a conversation on business/travel hacking), started Tropical MBA — a Lifestyle Entrepreneur incubator/house to live in and grow your company — and he makes modern cat furniture.

I had the pleasure to have him on the line, from his tropical paradise in southern Vietnam, to talk about his journey and how he started this lifestyle empire.

Be sure to get a pen and a pad, his story is jam-packed with ideas and tips to grow your business.

Interview with Dan Andrews

Sponsored by: Hanley’s Foods — Louisiana-inspired, natural, fresh foods.

• Why in Vietnam (03:15)
• Where did you grow up? (03:30)
• What books inspired you when starting out? (04:50)
• The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss (book reference)
• What was your first entrepreneur project? (06:35)
• Intrepreneur: Working for small business entrepreneurs and make their company better.
• “If you want to become an entrepreneur, go work for an entrepreneur who has less than 15 employees.”
• The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber (book reference)
• Work on your business, not in it. (10:25)
• Sam Carpenter’s — Work the System (website mention)
• “Write the software code of your business”
• How did you get into the cat furniture business? (12:50)
• Living a life VS having a life. How can one get more of a life? (16:55)
• “Be confident to what it is that you love about your life.”
• Being obsessed in your industry. (18:15)
• How to be a location-independent entrepreneur? (20:00)
• Dave Ramsey (website mention)
• 1,000 Day Principle (upcoming book)
• Pat Flynn (website mention)
• What is the 1,000 Day Principle? (22:53)
• “Get started yesterday”
• What’s the biggest mistake you see new startups making? (25:18)
• When is it a good time to hire someone? (27:00)
• What do you like to do for fun? (28:00)
• “My goal is to help other people join the party”
• What is Tropical MBA? (31:25)
• The Dynamite Circle (website mention)

Check out Dan at:
Website: LifestyleBusinessPodcast.com
Website: TropicalMBA.com
iTunes Podcast: Lifestyle Business Podcast
Twitter: @TropicalMBA

Play the interview
The DOcast is a series of interviews from amazing entrepreneurs who are doing the unthinkable. With topics on how they got started, where they’re going, and how you can learn from them.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

DO it big.