Alternate Names

Ammonium Carrageenan, Calcium Carrageenan, Potassium Carrageenan, Sodium Carrageenan, Chondrus Extract, Irish Moss

Description

Derived from a red seaweed by heating and converting into a gel. Used to thicken and stabilize processed foods. Also used as an emulsifier in certain products.

Additional Information

Roughly 80% of the world's supply comes from the Philippines. In 2007, the joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) indicated that carrageenan should be restricted in infant formula due to the gastrointestinal effects on infants. In other animal studies, results indicated that when carrageenan was subject to high temperatures and acidity that it may cause ulcers and gastrointestinal cancer.

Found In

ice cream, chocolate milk, sherbet, jam, jelly, cheese spread, dressings, crackers, pastries, custard, evaporated milk, pressurized whipped cream, infant formula, soy milk

Possible Health Effects

Gastrointestinal issues such as ulcers, cancer, inflammation.

Allergy Information

May cause allergic reaction in sensitive individuals

In The News

12/17/10 - Natural News reports Seaweed Extract Found to Prevent H1N1 Infection: Seaweed Extract Found to Prevent H1N1 Infection. The article finds that carrageenan is effective against the common cold and the H1N1 influenza.

Online Resources/Related

• World Health Organization, Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives; sixty-eight meeting, Geneva 2007, July 12, 2007, Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
• Environmental Health Perspectives, Volume 109, Number 10, Review of Harmful Gastrointestinal Effects of Carrageenan in Animal Experiments , October 2001, Joanne K. Tobacman
• Am J Physiol Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Carrageenan induces interleukin-8 production through distinct Bcl10 pathway in normal human colonic epithelial cells, November 9, 2006, Alip Borthakur, Sumit Bhattacharyya, Pradeep K. Dudeja, Joanne K. Tobacman

Print Resources

• Winter, Ruth. A Consumer's Dictionary of Food Additives, 7th Edition: Descriptions in Plain English of More Than 12,000 Ingredients Both Harmful and Desirable Found in Foods. Three Rivers Press, 2009
• Statham, Bill. Eat Safe: The Truth about Additives from Aspartame to Xanthan Gum. Running Press, 2008
• Minich, Deanna M. An A-Z Guide to Food Additives: Never Eat What You Can't Pronounce. Conari Press, 2009
• Farlow, Christine Hoza, D.C.Food Additives: A Shopper's Guide To What's Safe & What's Not. KISS For Health Publishing, 2007 Revised Edition

Copyright July 2, 2010 Be Food Smart, Updated December 20, 2010