This disclosure provides for xanthan gum polymer, and methods of making thereof, having enhanced properties such as improved hydration tolerance, hydration rates, and/or viscosity properties, as compared to conventional xanthan gum, while maintaining beneficial xanthan gum properties such as enzyme stability and shear stability. The organism used in the fermentation to produce the disclosed xanthan gum typically is a strain of Xanthomonas campestris pathovar campestris. These and other aspects of the xanthan gum are described.
