Carrageenan Gum Market Poised to Expand at a Robust Pace by 2023
Carrageenan is a common name for a family of gel-forming and viscosifying polysaccharides that are extracted from a species of red seaweed belonging to class Rhodophyceae. It is commonly found in the Atlantic Ocean near Britain, Europe, and North America. Carrageenan contains considerable amount of cellulose and sulfated polygalactan with 15% to40% of ester-sulfate content. It has off-white to brown appearance and is commercially available in powdered form. It is also known as seaweed flour or Irish moss. Carrageenans differ in their chemical structure and properties, and therefore, they have varying utilities in application industries. Carrageenans of commercial interest are available in three different grades: Iota (ι), kappa (κ), and lambda (λ). For instance, iota forms elastic gels with calcium salts and is stable at room temperature, while kappa forms strong and rigid gels with potassium salts and brittle gels with calcium salts. Lambda does not participate in gel formation and ...