Carrageenans

Carrageenans (E407) are widely used as gelling agents, thickeners and stabilisers.  The addition of varied ions or Locust Bean Gum are often used to change the feel. they'll be found in dairy merchandise, beverages, meat merchandise, water gels and powdered desserts. When used as gelling agents in water, they offer a large style of textures from firm to weak and from elastic to brittle.

Carrageenans are used as stabilisers for foams, ice cream, condensed milk, cream and salad dressings.Due to their protein reactivity, carrageenans turn out terribly economical milk gels. Weak, semi-gelled systems are often used to stabilise chocolate milk, giving mouth feel and cocoa suspension. Cold water-soluble sorts of carrageenan are often utilized in instant chocolate milk powders to produce similar properties.

Properties
Carrageenans are giant, highly versatile molecules that curl forming helical structures. this offers them the flexibility to make a spread of various gels at area temperature. they're widely utilized in the food trade as thickening and stabilising agents. a specific advantage is that they're thixotropic-they skinny below shear stress and recover their viscosity once the strain is removed. this suggests that they're straightforward to pump however stiffen once more afterwards.

Kappa carrageenan is potassium-sensitive and can type sturdy brittle, thermo-reversible gels within the presence of potassium ions. Calcium and most polyvalent ions can induce gelation to a lesser extent, whereas the sodium salt is non-gelling and cold water-soluble. All alternative salts of Kappa carrageenan have to be compelled to be heated on top of 50°C, usually to 80°C, to confirm complete dissolution. The gels are usually clear however calcium ions product slight cloudiness. Kappa carrageenan gels do exhibit some syneresis, and don't seem to be freeze/thaw stable. Kappa carrageenan can turn out sturdy milk gels at terribly low levels.

Iota carrageenan forms clear elastic thermo-reversible gels within the presence of calcium ions. while not the ions, considerable thickening happens. All salts of iota carrageenan are soluble in cold water and milk and are freeze/thaw stable. The gels don't exhibit syneresis.

Lambda carrageenan doesn't gel in water or milk however it produces considerable thickening in milk and can stabilise each water and milk systems. it's cold water-soluble, thickening immediately to offer a transparent viscous resolution.

The on top of 3 sorts of carageenan are typically blended and plenty of of the on the market grades contain numerous food additives to change the physical properties for specific uses. specially, locust bean gum is employed to change Kappa carrageenan, increasing the elasticity, cohesion and breaking strength of the gel.