Carragynan - what is this? What harm does the stabilizer carrageenan

Food additives (stabilizers) are widely used in dairy, confectionery, meat processing, bakery industry. Due to their use, the products acquire the desired shape, texture and consistency. Recently, carrageenan has been widely used as a stabilizer. What is it? In this article we will try to understand this issue.

Carrageenan is obtained from the processing of red seaweed of the family Rhodophyceae. These algae grow almost throughout the entire water area of the Earth. Red algae are heat-loving plants, so, as a rule, they can be seen on the coast of Indonesia, France, Chile, the USA and Canada.

Stabilizer carrageenan is a natural gelling agent, thickener. This food additive is widely used in the manufacture of dairy, confectionery, sausage and fish products. Without carrageenan the production of ice cream is also possible, because it is due to its use that the cream consistency of the final product is achieved.

Carraginan: general information

Carrageenan was discovered as early as the end of the 19th century, but until now this substance is of both research and practical interest for many scientists of the world. The first enterprises for the industrial processing of carrageenan appeared in the United States of America in the mid-1930s. Today, more than 3 thousand types of carrageenan are known, and this is not yet the final figure. Every year, researchers discover new types of carrageenan. From now on, you know when the carrageenan was discovered, what it is, and in what industries it is used.

Collection time, biological growth phase, and the depth and location of red algae affect the physicochemical properties of carrageenan. Due to technological processing of algae, several fractions of carrageenans are obtained, which differ in chemical composition as well as in other qualitative indices. At this time, three classes of carrageenan are distinguished, differing in the degree of sulphation: kappa, iota, and lambda-carrageenans.

Kappa-carrageenan: what is it?

This class of carrageenans is readily soluble in hot water. After dissolution and subsequent cooling, they form a gel with high jelly strength. Gels of the kappa class react quite well with milk proteins. In the process of production of meat products, kappa-carrageenan is used as a food additive. The use of this substance is due to the ability to increase the viscosity of liquids and act as not only a thickener, but also an emulsifier.

Types of carrageenans

By the degree of purification, carrageenans can be classified as purified and semi-purified. The former are obtained by digestion of algae in an alkaline solution. After that, the crystals of carrageenans are filtered out, concentrated and removed from the solution. This method is quite laborious and expensive. Most often, semi-purified carrageenans are used in industry. This species is obtained by boiling algae in a solution of potassium hydroxide. Potassium prevents the hydrolysis of carrageenan in solution, but allows the carbohydrates and algae proteins to dissolve. After carrying out these manipulations, the algae is removed from the solution, washed and dried.

Iota- and lambda-carrageenan: what is it?

Iota-carrageenan forms a less durable gel than kappa gel. It is worth noting that such gels are more elastic, they are able to restore their original structure even after mechanical impact. In this regard, iota-carrageenan, as a rule, is used as a stabilizer of suspensions. In addition, the above presented jellies are quite stable with successive cycles of freezing / thawing.

Lambda-carrageenan does not form gels, since it contains a large number of sulfo groups, but such solutions have a high viscosity coefficient. Therefore, this fraction is ideal for the formation of emulsions, foams and suspensions.

The use of food additive carrageenan

There is information that the food stabilizer carrageenan is safe for our health, in addition, it has a number of unique beneficial properties. Many experts are of the opinion that the main benefit of using this substance is the cleansing of the human body from toxic impurities and chemical bio-compounds, including heavy metals. In addition, it has been proven that carrageenans are not allergens, exhibit antiviral, anticoagulant, antibacterial and antitoxic effects.

Carrageenan: harm

American scientists have proved that degraded carrageenan can provoke the development of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, as well as cancer. What is dangerous carrageenan? The harm of this additive can be due to the fact that its biologically active substances provoke the development of inflammatory reactions in the body. Carrageenan during the hydrolysis in the stomach secretes toxic substances, which are the basis of more than one hundred diseases. Among them, gastritis, enteritis, colitis, arthritis, atherosclerosis, etc. Degraded carrageenan is harmful to our health, so it is usually not included in the food.

Recently, WHO representatives strongly do not recommend the use of additives in foods that are intended for the nutrition of children and pregnant women. Recent experimental studies by American scientists on laboratory animals have shown that polygynane (part of the carrageenan molecule) can cause ulcers and cancer of the digestive canal. On the basis of the data obtained, this food stabilizer has not been included in the category of prohibited bioadditives, but it can still cause many pathologies, therefore it is necessary to use products containing carrageenan (food additive E-407 and E-407a) with extreme caution. Despite the proven toxicity, the stabilizer E-407 is allowed to use in the territory of most states, including the Russian Federation. However, the choice is yours, friends.