Carrageenan

Carrageenan, when extracted from the appropriate seaweed source, is a yellow-brown to white colored, coarse to fine powder that is odorless and tasteless.Carrageenan is a gum that is a seaweed extract obtained from red seaweed chondrus crispus (also known as irish moss), gigartina, and eucheuma species. chondrus crispus yields kappa and lambda carra- geenans. gigartina yields kappa and lambda carrageenans. eucheuma yields kappa and iota carrageenans. it exists as various salts or mixed salts of a sulfate ester. it is classified mainly as kappa, iota, and lambda types which differ in solubility and gelling properties. the kappa and iota types require hot water (above 71°c) for complete solubility and can form thermally reversible gels in the presence of potassium and calcium cations, respectively. the kappa gels are brit- tle with syneresis while the iota gels are more elastic without synere- sis. the lambda type is cold-water soluble and does not form gels. kappa and iota carrageenan are very reactive with milk protein products. carrageenan is used to stabilize milk protein at 0.01–0.05% and to form water gels at 0.5–1.0%. its uses include dairy products, water gel desserts, and low-calorie jellies. a typical use level in water systems is 0.2–1.0% and milk systems is 0.01–0.25%. also termed chondrus extract.