Carrageenan
Product Description
Carrageenan is a polysaccharide derived from red seaweed and is widely used in various industrial applications due to its unique properties.
Product:
Carrageenan
CAS:
9000-07-1
Synonym:
Carageenan gum; Chondrus; Carrageenin
Structure:
Typical Characteristics
Appearance
White to light brown powder
Density
1.37 g/cm3
Melting point
Decomposes
Molecular Weight
Variable
Odor
Odorless
Purity
99%
Uses, Applications & Markets
Key applications
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Carrageenan used in many
industry applications
Carrageenan is a polysaccharide derived from red seaweed and is widely used in various industrial applications due to its unique properties. Here are some of its key industrial uses:
- Food Industry: Carrageenan is commonly used as a thickening, gelling, and stabilizing agent in a wide range of food products, including dairy, desserts, sauces, and meat products. It improves texture, viscosity, and mouthfeel, enhancing the overall quality and shelf stability of processed foods.
- Pharmaceuticals: It finds application as an excipient and suspending agent in pharmaceutical formulations such as tablets, capsules, and suspensions. Carrageenan helps improve the uniformity, flow properties, and stability of drug products, ensuring accurate dosing and effective delivery of active ingredients.
- Cosmetics and Personal Care Products: Carrageenan is used in the formulation of cosmetics, skincare products, and oral care products as a thickener, emulsifier, and moisturizing agent. It enhances product texture, stability, and sensory attributes, providing smooth, creamy textures and long-lasting hydration.
- Biotechnology: Carrageenan serves as a gelling agent and culture substrate in biotechnological applications such as cell culture, tissue engineering, and microbiology. It provides a stable matrix for cell growth and proliferation, facilitating research and production processes in the biopharmaceutical industry.
- Medical Applications: Carrageenan is used in medical devices and wound care products as a lubricating and hydrating agent. It helps reduce friction during medical procedures and provides moisture to wound dressings, promoting wound healing and patient comfort.
- Textile Industry: Carrageenan is employed as a sizing agent and textile finish in the textile industry. It enhances the strength, elasticity, and smoothness of textile fibers, improving weaving efficiency and fabric quality in the production of textiles, apparel, and home furnishings.
- Industrial Applications: Carrageenan is utilized in various industrial processes such as papermaking, mining, and oil drilling as a thickener, flocculant, and water-binding agent. It helps improve process efficiency, reduce water consumption, and enhance product performance in industrial applications.
- Animal Feed: Carrageenan is added to animal feed formulations as a binder and gelling agent to improve pellet quality and feed consistency. It helps prevent feed dusting, reduce feed wastage, and enhance palatability, promoting better feed intake and animal growth in livestock and aquaculture.
- Environmental Applications: Carrageenan is used in environmental remediation and wastewater treatment processes as a flocculating agent and sediment stabilizer. It helps facilitate the removal of suspended solids and pollutants from water bodies, improving water quality and ecosystem health.
- Agarose Gel Electrophoresis: Carrageenan is employed in agarose gel electrophoresis for the separation and analysis of nucleic acids and proteins. It provides a solid matrix with uniform pore size distribution, allowing for the migration and separation of biomolecules based on size and charge.