Merck + Co., Inc.

John K Baird

Jaewon L Shim

Paul A Sandford

Ian W Cottrell

Joseph M Cleary

P. elodea mutants are produced which produce gellan gum broth which contains no detectable amount of poly-.beta.-hydroxy-butyrate (PHB).

PHB-free gellan gum broth

Xanthan gum is treated with surfactants. This treatment produces a readily dispersible xanthan gum.

Dispersible xanthan gum

Gellan gum food gels are formed without first going through a heating and cooling cycle.

Non-heated gellan gum gels

Gellan gum gels are formed without first going through a heating and cooling cycle.

Glyoxal treated xanthan gum is dry blended with non-dispersible plant gums. These blends exhibit excellent dispersibility in water.

Dispersible xanthan gum blends

Fumed silica is added to xanthan gum beer prior to normal isolation procedures. The xanthan gum obtained from this beer is characterized in that it is more readily dispersible than xanthan gum from regular beer. This dispersible xanthan gum does not require vigorous agitation to attain homogenous, lump-free solutions.

Dispersible xanthan gum composite

Novel copolymers of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and acrylamide are disclosed where the ratio of NNDMA to AM ranges from 10:90 to 95:5. The hydrolyzed copolymer is also disclosed where hydrolysis ranges from 5% to 65% and the ratio of NNDMA to AM is 5:95 to 95:5. These hydrolyzed copolymers are useful in enhanced oil recovery operations.

Copolymers of N,N-dimethylacrylamide and acrylamide

This invention relates to a blend of cellulase-free xanthan gum with a number of cellulosics, including carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose and hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose. At 1:1 weight ratio, these blends show surprising viscosities when tested in aqueous solutions of 1%, 0.5%, 0.25% and 0.1% total gum concentration. The blends have utility in any application where cellulosics are used as thickeners, such as industrial or food applications, e.g., toothpaste, or drink mix formulations.

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

John K Baird