Application of carrageenan in food

1 Application in dairy products

The main function of carrageenan in dairy products is to thicken, stabilize, shape, suspend, and gel. For example, after carrageenan is added to cocoa milk, the interaction between κ-casein and carrageenan produces a fine colloidal structure to maintain the suspension of cocoa powder, prevent its precipitation, and make the beverage have a full taste; condensed milk is added with a low concentration of κ -Type carrageenan stabilizes milk fat and simulates the taste and appearance of whole milk; carrageenan can also be used to stabilize fruit-flavored yogurts, making them smooth and adding texture.

In the production of ice cream and ice cream, carrageenan can make fat and other solid components evenly distributed, prevent the separation of milk components and the increase of ice crystals during manufacture and storage; make ice cream and ice cream fine texture, smooth and delicious; in ice cream production , Carrageenan can interact with cations in milk to produce unique gelling properties, which can increase the formability and solubility of ice cream, and improve the stability of ice cream when temperature fluctuates.

2 Application in beverages

The main functions of carrageenan in water are gelation, suspension, shaping and thickening. For example, iota carrageenan can form a soft and elastic gel that does not melt at room temperature, which is useful for occasions that do not require the use of a refrigerator. The gel it forms does not harden with aging, but has a higher melting point, which reduces the taste of the product.

The gel produced by kappa-carrageenan is hard and brittle, and is not as soft as the gel formed by iota-carrageenan. Adding locust bean gum or agar to kappa-type carrageenan can obtain a soft texture, a mixture of kappa- and iota-carrageenan and pure locust bean gum can be used to produce low-calorie products, in which the addition of acid must be done at a later stage, To prevent excessive hydrolysis of carrageenan.

Fruit drink granules generally contain sugar or sweeteners, acids, flavors, and kappa- or iota-carrageenan can provide good texture and pleasant taste when the content of 0.1% or 0.2% in the prepared beverage. In addition, because carrageenan can complex with protein, it can also improve the stability of vegetable protein beverage when heated to a certain extent.

3 Application in meat products

Carrageenan can be used in ham to gel, emulsify, retain water and enhance elasticity, especially to provide proper water retention. In the process of meat product processing, the water absorption ratio of starch is usually 1:2; The water absorption ratio is 1:4; the water absorption ratio of carrageenan can reach 1:40. The strong water retention capacity of carrageenan is entirely due to the special structure of carrageenan. The molecular structure of carrageenan contains strong anionic sulfate groups, which can form additional hydrogen bonds with free water; and can complex with proteins, Forms a strong three-dimensional structure - gel; thus firmly locking free water. The product has the characteristics of fineness, good slicing, good taste, good elasticity, moderate toughness and brittleness, tender, smooth and refreshing, so as to improve product quality and reduce costs. In addition, because the carrageenan is dispersed in the cold salt and does not increase the viscosity of the brine, it will not cause inconvenience in the treatment of poultry meat feed water.

4 Application in beer and fruit wine

Carrageenan can be used as an auxiliary agent to clarify wine in beer production process. Beer and fruit wine often contain some colloidal substances and become turbid, which makes filtration difficult and affects the clarity of the final beer fruit wine. At this time, a clarifying agent must be added to remove the turbidity. However, it is difficult for general clarifying agents to completely remove these substances, and it takes a long time. The reaction of carrageenan and protein can effectively achieve the purpose of wort clarification. The principle is: the carrageenan with anionic groups forms a binding bond with the positively charged hydrophilic polymer protein in the wort through electrostatic interaction, and Quickly promote various tiny proteins, lipids, glucans and other molecules to aggregate into large flocs to accelerate sedimentation, and these flocs settle by gravity, so as to achieve the purpose of beer clarification.

5 Application in jelly food

The jelly made of agar is not elastic enough and the price is high; the freezing point and melting point of gelatin are low, and the preparation and storage must be refrigerated; using pectin to make jelly needs to add a high concentration of sugar and adjust to an appropriate pH The jelly made of carrageenan does not have the above shortcomings, and the jelly made of carrageenan is elastic and has no water separation.

6 Applications in confectionery

Using carrageenan to make transparent fruit gummies has the advantages of refreshing and non-sticky, better transparency than agar, and lower price.

7 Application in canning

Carrageenan as a coagulant is not limited by the soluble solids contained in the product, and can form a gel, and its applicability is stronger than that of gelatin and pectin.

8 Applications in bread and biscuits

Fresh bread has a soft and elastic core, but it is easy to age when placed, the hardness and brittleness of the bread gradually increase, and the special flavor of the bread gradually disappears.

Adding carrageenan to bread can increase the water retention capacity, thereby delaying aging, which is good for keeping bread fresh, and kappa-type carrageenan acts as a gelling agent in the center of pumpkin pie filling to obtain a firm but soft and cutable product. When the cake cools down, a custard-like texture can be formed, which prevents the cake from shrinking in size and the surface of the cake from hardening and forming a crust.