Product Overview:

Comes in 10 Pre-Measured Sachets of 2 grams.

Carrageenan is a red sea weed extract from carrageen algae such as Eucheuma or Gigartina. After harvest, the algae are dried, washed and purified then ground into a powder. Carrageenan is indigestible.
There are three principal categories of carrageenans: Kappa, Iota and Lambda*
* Kappa and Iota carrageenan are most often used: Kappa yields brittle breaking gels whilst iota yields a more elastic and softer gel.

Properties

Carrageenan is a gelling agent that builds strong neutral tasting, transparent gels. It is very frequently used in dairy-based preparations for texture manipulation. This is achieved by adding potassium and calcium salts and by changing the relative proportions of the different types of carrageenan.
Carrageenan can be used to substitute for pectin, gelatine or eggs in binding and thickening applications.

Applications

• Gelled wine
• Gelled tea and herbal teas
• Mousse
• Cream
• Aspic (jelly coated vegetable or fruit)

How to use

Carrageenan is best used at levels of between 2 to 10 g per kg of preparation. Carrageenan is soluble above 70°C. Sprinkle into vortex of hot water while stirring vigorously. Carrageenan can be mixed with another powder beforehand to facilitate dispersion and reduce lumping.
After heat activation, solutions of carrageenan will start setting when the temperature cools down to around 45-50°C. On reheating, carrageenan will melt at a similar temperature. It is not possible to re-melt a carrageenan gel if protein or pulses are included.
Carrageenan reacts with Konjac, Tara and LBG to provide elastic and transparent cohesive gels that can be quite rubbery if overdosed. In these formulations the dry ingredients are first blended together before dissolution.

Food regulations

Carrageenan is a permitted EU food additive and is assigned numbers E407 or E407a. Use of this product is not recommended for babies and young infants. For all commercial use, please follow our disclaimer and advice and refer to regulatory texts for limitations to use.

Storage

Store in a dry, cool place, away from direct sunlight in its original packaging.

Best before: refer to date indicated on packaging.

After opening: keeps for 6 months.

Ingredients:

Kappa carrageenan, gelling agent - E407