Carrageenan

Carrageenan is a versatile ingredient with various applications in the food, personal care, and industrial sectors. It is a sulfated polysaccharide primarily obtained from red algae, making it a natural and sustainable ingredient. Here are some key features and uses of carrageenan:Thickening and gelling: Carrageenan is commonly used in the food industry as a thickening, gelling, stabilizing, and suspending agent in water and milk systems. It can form a wide variety of gel textures at room temperature, such as rigid or elastic, clear or turbid, tough or tender, heat-stable or thermally reversible, and low or high melting/gelling temperatures. In personal care products, carrageenan provides high viscosity and solid textures, resulting in strong, rigid gels, especially in combination with potassium ions.