Carrageenan

What is Carrageenan?

Carrageenan gum is a naturally-occurred family of marine polysaccharide obtained from seaweed. They are considered water-soluble dietary fibers.

Carrageenan is a natural, water-soluble polysaccharide extracted from red seaweed that has been used for centuries as a gelling, thickening, and stabilizing agent in a wide range of food and beverage products. It has a unique molecular structure that allows it to form strong gels at low concentrations, making it an ideal ingredient for a variety of applications, from dairy products to meat and poultry. Carrageenan is also known for its ability to improve texture and mouthfeel, enhance flavor, and increase shelf life, making it a popular choice among food manufacturers. As a natural and sustainable ingredient, carrageenan is an excellent choice for companies looking to meet the growing demand for healthier and more environmentally friendly products. Carrageenan is an excellent alternative to animal-based thickeners such as gelatin.

They are used in foods such as baked goods, frozen dough, ice cream, yogurt, cheese or soy milk to:

Thicken
Emulsify
Preserve

Chemically, carrageenans are chains of repeating D-galactose and 3,6-anhydrogalactose units which can be sulfated or non-sulfated. Depending on the specific algae and method of extraction

Origin

The major source of carrageenan gum is red seaweed (also called Irish moss) or algae. Typical characteristics of carrageenan are:

kappa: forms strong, rigid gels in the presence of potassium ions. It reacts with dairy proteins, and is mainly sourced from Eucheuma cottonii.
iota: forms soft gels in the presence of calcium ions. It is produced mainly from Eucheuma spinosum.
lambda: does not gel, and is used to thicken dairy products. The most common source is Gigartina from South America.

Commercial Production of Carrageenan

The following steps are used in producing carrageenan gum:

Seaweed harvesting
Cleaning and washing
Extraction with alkali
Filtration and concentration
Processing with potassium chloride
Gel pressing, drying, milling and blending
Refined carrageenan can be obtained using the same processing steps except for the use of alcohol instead of potassium chloride.

Applications

Dairy Products:

Enhances texture and stability in ice creams, yogurts, and dairy desserts.

Confectionery:

Provides gelling properties in gummies, jellies, and fruit snacks.

Meat and Poultry:

Improves moisture retention and texture in processed meats and poultry products.

Bakery:

Acts as a stabilizer and improves texture in cakes, pastries, and fillings.

Beverages:

Stabilizes protein beverages and dairy alternatives, enhancing mouthfeel.

Potential Benefits

Texture Enhancement:

Improves viscosity and texture stability in various food applications.

Stabilization:

Prevents ingredient separation and maintains product integrity.

Gelling Agent:

Forms stable gels suitable for a wide range of food and beverage formulations.

Documents & Samples

Product range

Caglicia™ KS

Kappa semi-refined carrageenan

Caglicia™ KR

Kappa refined carrageenan

Caglicia™️ IS

Iota semi-refined carrageenan

Caglicia™️ IR

Iota refined carrageenan

Caglicia™️ PT100

Carrageenan for pudding

Offering a tender and smooth texture for pudding, with a dosage of 0.8% to 1%.

Caglicia™️ PT200

Carrageenan for pudding

Offering a firmer texture for pudding, with a dosage of 0.8% to 1%.

Caglicia™️ CJ200

Carrageenan for fruit jelly cups

Provide diverse textures from soft and elastic to firm for jellies, while maintaining extremely high transparency and gloss.

Caglicia™️ SJ100

Carrageenan for drinkable jelly

The rapid gelling characteristics making the production process more efficient by shortening the time it takes for the jelly to go from liquid to solid state. This enables effortless compression and pleasure in the jelly, preserving its authenticity and fun nature.

Caglicia™️ GF500

Carrageenan for gummies

Suitable for a variety of shapes and rich textures in gummy candies, such as mango gummy candies, peelable gummy candies, burst gummy candies, etc.

Caglicia™️ GB300

Carrageenan for gummies

Ideal for peelable gummy candy coatings with non-stickliess and great flavor release.

Caglicia™️ GS100

Carrageenan for gummies

Suitable for carrageenan-based gummy candies and fruit cakes, it has excellent water retention effects due to good acid resistance and flowability.

Caglicia™️ GB400

Carrageenan for gummies

Used in mango, orange-flavored gummy candies, and yogurt balls, etc.

Caglicia™️ TS100

Carrageenan for tumbling process - sausages

Possesses good gelling, emulsifying, and water-holding capabilities, capable of binding with meat proteins, soy proteins, and starch, enhancing the texture of meat sausages and improving the freeze-thaw stability of starch.

Caglicia™️ TS150

Carrageenan for tumbling process - sausages

When applied to meat sausages with a high meat content, it provides a better juiciness. It reduces the loss rate during the cooking, freeze-thaw, and baking processes of meat sausages.

Caglicia™️ TB310

Carrageenan for meatballs

Used in meatballs, frozen surimi products, etc., to enhance the product's bounciness and chewiness. It inhibits starch retrogradation, improving quality and reducing costs.

Caglicia™️ TVG210

Carrageenan for plant-based meat and vegetarian meat

Suitable for pre-prepared conditioned meat products and vegetarian products made from plants. It can form a fine paste with soy protein, enhancing the product's elasticity and crispness, and works well in synergy with soy protein and TG enzyme.

Caglicia™️ RG300

Carrageenan for injection

The gel strength is moderate, and the solution viscosity is low, making it easy to disperse. It increases the gel strength, water-holding, and emulsifying properties of meat products, improving the tenderness and texture.

Caglicia™️ RG310

Carrageenan for injection

High gel strength and good water retention; binds well with meat proteins, enhancing the gel strength and water-holding capacity of meat products, improving tenderness and taste, and increasing yield.