Carrageenans for Processed Meats and Poultry
Carrageenans are naturally derived from certain red marine seaweeds and are a member of a group of specialty hydrocolloids that have been used by the North American food industry for many years. A full overview of the utility of these compounds for processed meats and poultry was provided at the Prepared Foodsí 2009 R&D Applications Seminar-East, ìCarrageenan: Types and Technology for Processed Meat and Poultry,î presented by Harris ìPeteî Bixler, on behalf of Ingredients Solutions Inc.
Dr. Bixler described carrageenan as a natural, long-chain, water-soluble polymer extracted by three different types of processing: alcohol precipitation, gel press (KCl precipitation) and the natural-grade/semi-refined method. There are four general carrageenan types that produce a wide range of gelling and thickening effects: kappa, iota, lambda and kappa-2.