Food Additive Carrageenan
Ms H
The carrageenan is linear sulphated polysaccharide that
extracted from red edible seaweeds. There are three main types of carrageenan; κ-carrageenan
has one, ι-carrageenan has two and λ-carrageenan has three sulphate groups per
disaccharide. They have stabilising, thickening and gelling properties
so they are widely used in the food industry. They are particularly benefited
in dairy and meat products due to their strong binding to food proteins. Carrageenan is especially common in non-dairy
milks such as almond milk and coconut milk.
People
with lactose intolerance or on vegan diet might actually be increasing their
exposure if they use these products. The animal studies show that carrageenan
can cause intestinal damage or ulcer. Some human studies associate carrageenan
in ulceration and inflammation although it is not a known carcinogen.There is still some doubt about
its safety if it consumed regularly.
People with coeliac condition should be more careful about the consumption of carrageenan. Human studies show some of its effects on inflammation of intestine and coeliac condition is an autoimmune disease, which can affect the villi of small intestine.. You must read the ingredient very carefully because, carrageenan is widely used as a stabiliser in food industry.
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