Carrageenan (also called carrageen gum) is a kind of natural
polysaccharide hydrophilic gum extracted from sea plant - red algae
and, normally, is white or yellow in the form of powder, odorless
and tasteless. The gel forming Carrageenan is of heat
reversibility. I. E., the gel turns into solution when being heated
and turns back to gel again as soon as the solution is cooled.
Carrageenan possesses very favorable water-solubility and starts
melting at *0, and absolutely melts at *0. Meanwhile, it features
fine stability so that long-term placement may not reduce its
gelling intensity and viscosity. The product won't be hydrolyzed
even if being heated in neutral and alkaline solution. When
combined with konjac gum, locust bean gum and some other kind of
gums, Carrageenan can give a remarkable performance for synergism
and distinctly alter its gelling characteristics so as to make the
gel full of elasticity and water preserving capability.
In food industry, carrageenan can be used as gelling agent,
thickener, stabilizer, suspending agent and clarifier, and can be
used in products such as soft candy, jelly, sausage, canned meat,
ice cream, beverage, condiment, milk, bionic food, jam, canned
thick soup, beer, bread, pet food and so on; In pharmaceutical
industry, it can be used as medicine suspending agent and
dispersant, and can be used to produce capsule products etc. In
daily chemical industry, it can be used in toothpaste, detergent,
cosmetics and air freshener; In biochemistry, carrageenan can be
used as carrier of microorganism and immobilized cells; In other
fields, it can be used as the thickener for water-based paint,
ceramic glaze and water color, and the suspending agent for
graphite, sizing material for textile products and paper, and the
suspending agent for herbicide and pesticide, graphite
deflocculant, deflocculant for textile and so on.
