Hydrocolloids
Carrageenans
Carrageenan is extracted from certain red seaweeds (Rhodophyceae) and is a natural texturizing ingredient with extremely effective thickening and gelling properties. Carrageenan's ability to thicken or to form gels can be used in numerous health & beauty products to provide texture and consistency.
With its shear- thinning properties, thickening carrageenan makes the cosmetic preparation easy to fill and to spread.
Gelling carrageenan provides emulsion stability by trapping oil droplets and prevents non-soluble ingredients, such as pigments from separating, by suspending them into the gel matrix, at low dosage. The gel structure also imparts a desirable short and light texture having a thixotropic property.
Due to their specific interactions with proteins and their synergetic effects with other hydrocolloids carrageenans are extremely versatile ingredients in personal care applications.
Cargill can supply grades of carrageenan that meet the specifications of the French Pharmacopoeia when tested accordingly.
Brand names
With its high diversity of raw materials, Cargill offers refined carrageenans ensuring a broad spectrum of functionalities depending on the property required and customer specifications
- SATIAGEL™ - refined carrageenans (gelling)
- SATIAGUM™ - refined carrageenans (thickening)
Applications
Carrageenans can be used in gels, creams and lotions in hair care, skin and bath and body products. In oral care applications, such as toothpaste, carrageenan is an effective binder.
- Creams and lotions
- Hair care products
- Toothpaste
- Stick applications
Functionalities
- Thickening agent
- Gelling agent
- Texturizing agent - carrageenan has a wide spectrum of fine and light textures
- Binder
- Glosser - carrageenan has a wide spectrum of shiny textures
Chemistry
Carrageenans are hydrocolloids consisting mainly of sulfate esters of galactose and 3,6-anhydrogalactos with a varying degree of sulfatation (between 15% and 40%).
The carrageenan family is extremely diverse; it can be broadly classified into three main “ideal” types, split into two groups:
Gelling carrageenans: kappa and iota
Having undergone the heat treatment required for dissolution, the macromolecules have a tendency to spontaneously associate during cooling, thus creating junction zones required for a gel.
The iota carrageenan network is formed by a series of double helices and kinks, that form a transparent, elastic gel. This loosely connected network can easily be destroyed by mechanical action. However, it reforms quickly once the mechanical action has stopped.
This property is called "thixotropy" and is very useful in certain applications, such as cosmetic emulsions.
Gelation of kappa carrageenan is significantly enhanced by the potassium ion. It induces gel formation at very low concentrations. Because of its small size when hydrated, it fits into the coil and partially neutralizes the sulfate groups. Thus, the double-helices can cluster together and form aggregates, which create a strong, brittle gel.
Kappa (κ) carrageenan: 1 sulfate group per 2 sugar units
Iota (ι) carrageenan: 2 sulfate groups per 2 sugar units
Thickening carrageenans: lambda
Largely due to electrostatic repulsion, the chains of lambda carrageenan do not tend to self-associate and can easily be separated from each other. Therefore lambda carrageenan is incapable of forming gels, but can be used as a thickening agent to control viscosity.
Lambda (λ) carrageenan: 3 sulfate groups per 2 sugar units
