wet Carrageenan

It is a fact that food is a necessity. Of course, it is given that we consume it on a daily basis. However, have you ever wondered if what ingredients are there in the food products that we eat? The carrageenan, for example, this seaweed extract is present in many food products that we consume on a daily basis. Now, if you are wondering how carrageenan works, keep on reading since this article is about carrageenan.

Carrageenan

What Is Carrageenan?

For starters, carrageenan is a seaweed extract that is commonly found in the Atlantic Ocean. The process of extracting carrageenan includes boiling it. Of course, you need to harvest the seaweed first. After that, you need to let it dry then eventually boil it. In addition, it is worth noting that carrageenan is primarily used in the food industry. In terms of its uses, carrageenan is used as a thickener. Moreover, carrageenan is used to preserve food.

Carrageenan 2

Furthermore, it is worth noting that carrageenan is divided into two forms. First is the degraded carrageenan. This kind of carrageenan is not suitable to be used for food products given the fact the degraded carrageenan contains low molecular weight. On the other hand, undegraded carrageenan contains high molecular weight; thus, making it safe to be used in food products.

The Risks Of Carrageenan

ZXCXZCZXAs what was mentioned above, degraded carrageenan is not edible given that fact that it contains low molecular weight. In terms of undegraded carrageenan, Of course, it should not be forgotten that too much of anything is not good. Apart from that, undegraded carrageenan does not pose any serious health risks. In addition, the fact that food products that contain carrageenan are fine for pregnant women is enough to conclude that carrageenan is not harmful. As a matter of fact, carrageenan is present in many infant milks.

The Benefits of Carrageenan

If you search any search for carrageenan on any search engine these days, you will be surprised that many of the articles talk about the dangers of carrageenan. Although it is a fact carrageenan has its share of side effects, the importance of carrageenan in many industries cannot be understated.

Carrageenan

In terms of the benefits brought by carrageenan, it is evident that the food industry takes the biggest slice of the cake. Apart from the food industry, various industries have benefited from carrageenan too. For instance, the cosmetics industry is using carrageenan. For cosmetics creams.  Moreover, some pharmaceutical products contains carrageenan too.

Carrageenan 3

As we end this article, it is worth noting that despite the fact that tons of people claim that carrageenan is harmful, we cannot disregard the fact that carrageenan brings too many benefits to the table. As a matter of fact, without the existence of carrageenan, there is no denying that many products nowadays will not exist too.