The hydration of carrageenans in mixed electrolytes

The hydration of a carrageenan is dependent on the temperature, shear rate and ionic environment of the medium in which it is being evaluated. Optimum cold water thickening can be achieved by applying shear to the system after swelling has begun - in some cases heat and/or shear is required to initiate the swelling process. For maximum cold swelling, salts should be added to the system after swelling has occurred. Certain applications may require low viscosities during initial processing. For these applications, the hydration of carrageenan can be inhibited by dispersing it into a salt environment at ambient temperatures (20 degrees C and below). Generally, the hydration/dispersion characteristics of a carrageenan can be controlled by adjusting the media temperature and ionic environment.