Refined Carrageenan
Refined carrageenan is a sulphated galactan extracted from red seaweeds and purified by dissolving the polysaccharide out of the weed and separating it from the insoluble cell wall residue. It is the higher purity form of the additive, listed as E407 and as INS 407.
The polymer is a chain of alternating galactose units carrying sulphate half-esters, and three commercial types are distinguished by how many sulphate groups they carry and where. Kappa carrageenan has one sulphate per repeating unit and forms a firm brittle gel in the presence of potassium ions, with noticeable syneresis. Iota carrageenan has two sulphates and forms a soft elastic gel with calcium ions that shows little syneresis and recovers after shearing. Lambda carrageenan has three sulphates, cannot form the ordered helix and so does not gel at all, acting instead as a thickener that works cold.
All types react specifically with the kappa-casein of milk protein, forming a weak network at concentrations far below those needed in water, which is the basis of their heavy use in dairy. Refined carrageenan is a white to pale beige powder, dissolving in hot water and, for the sodium salt forms, in cold water, and is stable at neutral and alkaline pH but hydrolyses on prolonged heating below about pH 4.
We source bulk Refined Carrageenan from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturers are in Fujian. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Function
- Thickener / Hydrocolloid
Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | White to pale beige powder, free of foreign matter |
| Odour and Taste | Almost odourless, bland |
| Identification | Characteristic infrared spectrum for the declared type |
| Gel Strength, 1.5% in 0.2% potassium chloride | Not less than 700 g per square centimetre |
| Viscosity, 1.5% solution at 75 degrees Celsius | Not less than 5 mPa s |
| Sulphate, dry basis | 15.0% to 40.0% |
| Loss on Drying | Not more than 12.0% |
| Sulphated Ash, dry basis | 15.0% to 40.0% |
| Acid Insoluble Matter | Not more than 2.0% |
| pH, 1% solution | 8.0 to 11.0 |
| Residual Isopropanol | Not more than 0.1% |
| Particle Size | Not less than 95% through 80 mesh |
| Lead | Not more than 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | Not more than 3 mg/kg |
| Cadmium | Not more than 1 mg/kg |
| Total Plate Count | Not more than 5,000 CFU/g |
| Yeast and Mould | Not more than 300 CFU/g |
| Salmonella | Absent in 25 g |
Common Markets Grades
Refined carrageenan is traded by type and by the application it is standardised for rather than by a single assay. Kappa, iota and lambda types are the primary division, with most commercial products being blends of two types together with potassium or calcium salts and a sugar diluent, adjusted so that a fixed dose gives a defined gel strength or viscosity in the customer's system.
Beyond type, the specification names the standard test a grade is set against: gel strength in water or in milk, viscosity at a stated concentration and temperature, and dispersibility. Cold soluble and cold dispersible grades are made by salt exchange to the sodium form or by agglomeration. Application specific lines exist for dairy dessert, chocolate milk, ice cream, water jelly, meat injection and pet food, and each carries its own blend of carrageenan types and standardising salts. Particle size is specified because it controls dispersion, and a fine grade will lump if added without a carrier.
Applications
- Chocolate milk and flavoured dairy drinks, suspending cocoa particles at very low dose through reaction with milk casein
- Ice cream and frozen desserts, controlling ice crystal growth and preventing whey separation during heat shock
- Dairy desserts, flans and custards, giving a firm set that holds at ambient temperature
- Water jellies and dessert gels as a vegetarian alternative to gelatin
- Processed meat and poultry, binding injected brine and raising cook yield in hams and deli meats
- Plant based milk alternatives, suspending the insoluble phase and giving body in place of dairy protein
- Toothpaste and oral care gels, providing structure and preventing separation of the abrasive phase
- Air freshener and cosmetic gels requiring a firm heat set structure
- Pet food chunks in gravy, setting the gravy phase and holding the chunk shape
- Beer and wine fining, where the polymer flocculates haze forming protein
Brands Using Refined Carrageenan
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Refined Carrageenan on the ingredient label.
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Refined Carrageenan
Top Refined Carrageenan manufacturers in China.
- Fujian Dingli Yuanfeng Marine Biotechnology Co., Ltd.3 ingredients in the directory
Fujian Green Power Biotechnology Co., Ltd.3 ingredients in the directory
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States 21 CFR 172.620 permits carrageenan as a direct food additive, with a separate regulation at 21 CFR 172.626 covering carrageenan with polysorbate 80 for use in certain gelling applications. Its use in food is subject to the conditions given in those regulations, and it is declared on the label as carrageenan.
In the European Union it is authorised as E407 carrageenan under the food additives regulation, with the semi-refined material listed separately as E407a processed eucheuma seaweed. The purity criteria set limits on sulphate content, ash, acid insoluble matter, residual solvents and heavy metals, and, importantly, require the molecular weight distribution to be controlled so that only a small proportion of the material falls below the low molecular weight threshold, since degraded carrageenan of low molecular weight is a different substance and is not permitted as a food additive. Carrageenan is generally permitted at quantum satis in the categories where it is allowed, with specific restrictions in foods for infants and young children. Codex and JECFA recognise the substance as INS 407, with JECFA specifications applying the same molecular weight and purity controls.
Manufacturing Process
Dried seaweed, mainly Kappaphycus alvarezii for kappa, Eucheuma denticulatum for iota and Chondrus or Gigartina species for lambda, is washed to remove sand, salt and epiphytes. The weed is then extracted in hot alkali, typically potassium or sodium hydroxide at 80 to 95 degrees Celsius for several hours. The alkali does two jobs: it dissolves the carrageenan out of the cell wall, and it converts sulphate groups at the 6 position into 3,6-anhydrogalactose bridges, which is what allows the chain to form the helix that gels.
The hot viscous extract is diluted and clarified by centrifugation and filtration through a filter press with a filter aid, removing the cellulosic residue that distinguishes this route from the semi-refined process. The clarified solution is then recovered by one of two methods. In the alcohol route it is precipitated by mixing with isopropanol, which throws the polymer out as fibres that are pressed, washed and desolventised, with the alcohol distilled and recycled. In the gel press route, used for kappa, the solution is forced into a concentrated potassium chloride bath so that it gels, and the gel is then pressed or frozen and thawed to expel water. The recovered polymer is dried, milled to the specified mesh, and standardised by blending with sugar and with potassium or calcium salts to hit the declared gel strength before packing.
