Carrageenan is an ingredient used in various industries, which is why there are many foods that contain carrageenan. We have detected an increase of more than 3,800% growth this last year for searches for what foods contain carrageenan? That is why here we bring you a summary.
What is carrageenan?
Carrageenan is an extract from a red seaweed commonly known as Irish moss. This edible seaweed is native to the British Isles, where it has been used in traditional cooking for hundreds of years. It is also widely used in the food industry, primarily as a thickener and gelling agent.
What are the uses of carrageenan in different industries?
Commercially, carrageenan is used in food processing industries and in the healthcare sector as gelling agents, thickeners, emulsifiers, and stabilizers.
It is an important product used in the cosmetic industry due to its physical and functional capacity and antioxidant activity. Most of the carrageenan derivatives are considered for cosmeceutical production and isolated from red algae. On the other hand, it is used in anti-aging, antioxidant and anti-cancer activities. The gelling capacity of carrageenan is useful in producing a higher texture with a higher consistency in cosmetic production. Other products such as skin lotions, toothpaste binders and shaving foams are available from carrageenan.
Sulfated and acetylated derivatives of carrageenan oligosaccharides have also been shown to scavenge or neutralize hydroxyl, superoxide and DPPH radicals. In vivo studies have also reported good antioxidant potential.
Carrageenan is a widely used food additive. It is a common processing aid in foods, particularly dairy products, plant-based beverages, and processed meat products. It is used as a “clarifying” agent in the production of beer and wine (meaning it is used in processing, but not added to the final product).
It does not provide any nutritional value to processed foods. Instead, carrageenan is often added as a stabilizer, thickening agent, or emulsifier to make a finished product meet consumer expectations for “mouthfeel.”
Is carrageenan natural?
Although carrageenan is derived from natural sources (seaweed), its use in food manufacturing relies on a treatment and extraction process that alters its chemistry, transforming it into a highly processed synthetic ingredient.
In traditional preparation methods, seaweed is infused in boiling water or milk for use in cultural dishes and medicines. While these traditional cooking methods separate the carrageenan from its seaweed base, this process is markedly different than the preparation required for commercial applications.
Nearly all food-grade carrageenan is processed and extracted using alkaline solutions that remove the carrageenan from the seaweed. Alkaline treatments create chemical changes in the seaweed extracts that maximize profits for food manufacturers. None of the most common food-grade carrageenans are created through natural biological processes.
Foods that contain carrageenan
Carrageenan is used in a wide variety of processed foods. It can be found in foods such as powdered cream, custards, puddings, cake fillings, chocolate milk, chocolate syrups, ice cream, cream cheese, evaporated milk, baby formula, yogurt, gelatin, fruit juices, pet foods, canned fish, pizza, jams, and beer.
- Dairy Products: Carrageenan binds to milk protein due to its galactose content, giving it the ability to form a thick gel, improve texture, increase shelf life, and reduce manufacturing costs. One of the most common applications of carrageenan is in the production of low-fat cream cheese.
- Meat Products: Carrageenan is used in the production of processed meats to strengthen the gel formed by meat proteins. It is often used as a fat substitute in foods such as pate, sausages, and ham.
- Jellies and gelatins: Carrageenan forms a gel when mixed with water, in addition to improving the flavor and making it easier to unmold fruit gelatins.
- Pastries: Carrageenan is used to replace fat in baked goods, cakes, confectionery, ice cream and pastries in general.
- Pastas and noodles: Cereal and grain-based preparations include carrageenan in their formulation.
- General: Animal feed, air freshener gels, toothpastes, formulas for infant food and medicines in general.
Although there are many foods that contain carrageenan, it does not always appear on the ingredient panel. If carrageenan is used as a processing aid or in one of the ingredients used in the final product (such as cream)ue se usa para hacer helado), no es obligatorio que aparezca en el panel de ingredientes. La carragenina que se utiliza como agente de “clarificación” no necesita aparecer en ninguna etiqueta de ingredientes.
Toxicology
Unfortunately, publications in the early years did not distinguish between ‘carrageenan’ and ‘degraded carrageenan’ (‘poligeenan’). Thus, these publications continue to be misused as references for problems with CGN. Because CGN and PGN have very different toxicological profiles, these ongoing misnomers have caused much confusion.
Feeding studies with oral dosing of CGN solubilized in drinking water are not representative of how CGN is typically used or how it is present in foods. CGN has a robust and safe in vivo toxicological database. CGN is acutely nontoxic by oral, dermal, and inhalation routes. The only effects reported in chronic and subchronic feeding studies in animals with high dietary concentrations of CGN (e.g., 5%) are loose stools and diarrhea, which are common occurrences with such high levels of indigestible dietary fiber.
15 carrageenan suppliers in Latin America are:
- Dupont Nutrition & Biosciences – Brasil
- CP Kelco – Brasil
- CEAMSA – Perú
- FMC Corporation – Chile
- Shemberg Marketing Corporation – Filipinas (con presencia en América Latina)
- Naturex (Givaudan) – Brasil
- Alimentos Naturales LATCO – Argentina
- Ingredients Solutions Inc. – México
- Algas Marinas – Colombia
- Kappa Ingredients – Brasil
- Agar del Pacífico – Chile
- FMC Biopolymer – Brasil
- Indalgel S.A. – Argentina
- Alghapac – Chile
- CP Kelco Mexico – México
