Vitamins And Minerals
Every day, our bodies work around the clock orchestrating thousands of different tasks that keep us alive and functioning well. These range from continuously delivering enough oxygen to our cells, to making sure that our immune system is ready to fight potentially harmful invaders.
To carry out all its functions, our body needs specific nutrients that come from the foods we eat. While most of our bodies’ fuel and building blocks are provided by so-called macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins), each particular function and process requires a delicate balance between tiny amounts of other nutrients, called micronutrients.
What are Vitamins?
Simply put, vitamins are organic compounds produced by bacteria, plants and animals, which are essential to human health. The name itself comes from the Latin word “vita”, which means life.
Out of the 14 necessary vitamins, our bodies can produce 3 of them – vitamin D, niacin and choline – however, not in amounts that allow us to be self-sufficient. Thus, we still need to include all vitamins in our diet. Vitamins can be classified as water- or fat-soluble, depending on their ability to dissolve in water or fat, respectively. This in turn affects the way they’re absorbed, transported and stored in the body.
Water-soluble vitamins are essential to human health, that dissolve in water and are present in the watery parts of food. Generally, water-soluble can’t be stored in the body for long periods and are rapidly removed through urine when present in excess. They include thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin C. They are present in the watery parts of the food we eat and are easily absorbed into our bodies. Our bodies can’t store most water-soluble vitamins for long periods and quickly remove any excess through urine, except for vitamin B12, which we can store in significant amounts in our liver and kidneys.
Read more About Xanthan Gum Additive in Food Processing
What are Minerals?
There are many minerals in nature, however, our bodies only need 14 of them to survive. Minerals are inorganic compounds that originate from non-living matter, such as rocks, soil, or water. We get them in our diet directly through water, or indirectly through eating plants and animal-based foods, when they absorb it from the environment or through the food chain.
We can divide essential minerals in major minerals or trace elements, depending on their chemical structure and how much we need them in our diets.
- Major or macro-minerals are needed in relatively large amounts, usually above 200 mg, or even a few grams per day, to keep our health.
- Trace elements, sometimes also referred to as micro-minerals, are needed in much smaller amounts, usually below one milligram (micrograms), or a few milligrams mg per day, to keep our health.
How do Vitamins and Minerals Work in the Body?
It’s common to look at micronutrients as individual players, but it’s their continuous interactions that allow us to thrive. In fact, despite their differences, vitamins and minerals often work together to perform specific tasks in our bodies. Take vitamin B12 and folate for example. This precious duo works together to create healthy blood cells. But without iron or phosphorus and chloride, the oxygen from the lungs could not hop on (and off) the red blood cells to be delivered around the body.
In other cases, micronutrients team up in unexpected advantageous ways. For example, vitamin C can give our gut a helping hand to absorb the iron from plant-based foods, which we naturally absorb less than the iron from animal products.
Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.
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Unique Advantages of Xanthan Gum
Suspension and Emulsification
Xanthan gum has a good suspending effect on insoluble solids and oil droplets. Xanthan gum sol molecules can form super-bonded ribbon-shaped helical copolymers, forming a fragile glue-like network structure, so they can support the morphology of solid particles, droplets and bubbles, showing strong emulsification stability and high suspension ability.
Good Water Solubility
Xanthan gum can dissolve quickly in water and has good water solubility. In particular, it can be dissolved in cold water, which can save complicated processing and is easy to use. However, due to its strong hydrophilicity, if water is directly added without sufficient stirring, the outer layer will absorb water and swell into micelles, which will prevent water from entering the inner layer, thus affecting its function, so it must be used correctly. Xanthan gum dry powder or dry powder auxiliary materials such as salt and sugar are mixed well and then slowly added to the stirring water to make a solution for use.
- Major or macro-minerals are needed in relatively large amounts, usually above 200 mg, or even a few grams per day, to keep our health.
- Trace elements, sometimes also referred to as micro-minerals, are needed in much smaller amounts, usually below one milligram (micrograms), or a few milligrams mg per day, to keep our health.
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