Carrageenan (also called carrageen gum) is a kind of natural polysaccharide hydrophilic gum extracted from sea plant - red algae and, normally, is white or yellow in the form of powder, odorless and tasteless. The gel forming Carrageenan is of heat reversibility. I. E., the gel turns into solution when being heated and turns back to gel again as soon as the solution is cooled. Carrageenan possesses very favorable water-solubility and starts melting at *0, and absolutely melts at *0. Meanwhile, it features fine stability so that long-term placement may not reduce its gelling intensity and viscosity. The product won't be hydrolyzed even if being heated in neutral and alkaline solution. When combined with konjac gum, locust bean gum and some other kind of gums, Carrageenan can give a remarkable performance for synergism and distinctly alter its gelling characteristics so as to make the gel full of elasticity and water preserving capability.


In food industry, carrageenan can be used as gelling agent, thickener, stabilizer, suspending agent and clarifier, and can be used in products such as soft candy, jelly, sausage, canned meat, ice cream, beverage, condiment, milk, bionic food, jam, canned thick soup, beer, bread, pet food and so on; In pharmaceutical industry, it can be used as medicine suspending agent and dispersant, and can be used to produce capsule products etc. In daily chemical industry, it can be used in toothpaste, detergent, cosmetics and air freshener; In biochemistry, carrageenan can be used as carrier of microorganism and immobilized cells; In other fields, it can be used as the thickener for water-based paint, ceramic glaze and water color, and the suspending agent for graphite, sizing material for textile products and paper, and the suspending agent for herbicide and pesticide, graphite deflocculant, deflocculant for textile and so on.