Information AboutCarrageenan |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CARRAGEENAN | |
| edible thickening agents | |
| polysaccharides | |
| food additives | |
| iarc group 2b carcinogens | |
| personal lubricants | |
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These chemicals are large, highly flexible molecules which curl around each other forming Double-helical structures. This gives them the ability to form a variety of different Gels at room temperature. They are widely used in the food and other industries as thickening and stabilising agents. A particular advantage is that they are Thixotropic —they thin under Shear Stress and recover their Viscosity once the stress is removed. This means that they are easy to pump but stiffen again afterwards. For example, they can be used in:
There are three classifications of carrageenan:
It is interesting to note, however, that a lot of red algal species produce different types of carrageenans during their developmental history. For instance, the genera ''Gigartina'' produces mainly Kappa carrageenans during its Gametophytic stage, and Lambda carrageenans during its Sporophytic stage.
All are soluble in hot water, but in cold water only the Lambda form (and the sodium salts of the other two) are soluble. When used in food products, carrageenan has the EU additive E-number E407. Although introduced on an industrial scale in the 1930s, the first use was in China around 600 BC (where ''Gigartina'' was used) and in Ireland around 400 AD. The largest producer is the Philippines , where cultivated seaweed produces about 80% of the world supply. The most commonly used are Cottonii (''Eucheuma cottonii'') and Spinosum (''Eucheuma spinosum''), which together provide about three quarters of the World production. These grow at sea level down to about 2 metres. The seaweed is normally grown on nylon lines strung between bamboo floats and harvested after three months or so when each plant weighs around 1 kg. The Cottonii variety has been reclassified as ''Kappaphycus cottonii'' by Maxwell Doty (1988), thereby introducing the genus ''Kappaphycus'', on the basis of the phycocolloids produced (namely kappa carrageenan). After harvest, the seaweed is dried, baled, and sent to the carrageenan manufacturer. There the seaweed is ground, sifted to remove impurities such as Sand , and washed thoroughly. Next, the Cellulose is removed from the carrageenan by Centrifugation and Filtration . The resulting carrageenan solution is then concentrated by Evaporation . It is dried and ground to specification. HEALTH CONCERNS There is evidence from animal studies, performed on Rat s, Guinea Pig s and Monkey s, which indicates that degraded carrageenan (polygeenan) might cause ulcerations in the gastro-intestinal tract and Gastro-intestinal Cancer . Polygeenan is produced from carrageenan under high Temperature and Acid ity. A scientific Committee working on behalf of the European Commission has recommended to limit the amount of degraded carrageenan (defined as carrageenans with a Molecular Weight of less than 50 KDa ) to at most 5% of total carrageenan mass. {Link without Title} In addition, carrageenan is claimed to inhibit Absorption of certain Mineral s (e.g. Potassium ), and to induce gastro-intestinal discomfort in some people. SEE ALSO List Of Food Additives |
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