Kappa Refined Carrageenan Production Process

You might want to know more information about kappa refined carrageenan since there are many products which created using this substance. The carrageenan itself often used in food since this substance can gel, stabilize and thicken various products. It usually binds strongly to protein inside the food that is why this substance is often used on product made using meat or dairy as the ingredient. Among many variety of carrageenan there is the kappa variety carrageenan. Inside every disaccharide of this carrageenan variety only a group of sulphate is available.

How to make kappa refined carrageenan

The kappa refined carrageenan can create rigid and strong gelling form when there are potassium ions. That is why; protein inside dairy product will react well with this carrageenan variety. The carrageenan itself is derived using red type of seaweed which is edible, and to create the kappa variety of carrageenan the Kappaphycus alvarezii species from the red type seaweed is used.

This red type of seaweed can grow up to 2 meters long and it has both yellow and green color variation. This type of red seaweed can grow very fast, it can even double the amount within 15 days. Thus this type of seaweed can be farmed very quickly when the plant already have 1kg weight. Usually it takes around three months before the next harvest can be done.

The red seaweed itself is actually a type of plant but it grows inside the water. Thus to create the kappa refined carrageenan, then manufacturer need to farm this red seaweed. It will be grow inside the sea at around 2 meter deep. To control the growth of the red seaweed, it is grown using lines which made from nylon material. These lines will then be hung on floating stick which made using bamboo material.

After the kappa red seaweed is harvest, then it will be dried and bail before being send to the factory as raw material for further process. Inside the factory, the raw material will be grind so it will be easier to process. Then it will be sifted so the sand that might attach to it can be removed. Next is to wash it so all impurities can be thoroughly removed.

Then the raw material will be soaked using alkali liquid in 5 to 8% amount, and the liquid usually used is the Potassium hydroxide although other alkali liquid can also be used. The reason why this type of liquid is used is because it can change the chemical reaction which able to increase the gelling ability of the kappa refined carrageenan when used to create the product. It is able to get rid some amount of the sulphate content inside the material molecules and at the same time, it will also increase more formation of 3,6 anhydrogalactose. When the substance has more 3,6 anhydrogalactose then it will also have better gelling strength.

Then the red seaweed along with the alkali liquid will be heat to dissolve the red seaweed to become solution. However, not all red seaweed are dissolved thus it will be remove using coarse filtration and centrifugation method or only one of the two methods. Then second filter is one by using pressure filter method inside filter aid. This aid can prevent the filtering cloth to be block because of the gelatinous and fine particle which available in the solution.

This solution usually contains around 1 until 3% of kappa refined carrageenan but it still need to be made to be solid form. To do it, the caraageenan factory will use freeze-thaw method which will pour the solution through small holes to be mixed with potassium chloride solution. This will result in spaghetti like carrageenan which still needs to be washed using potassium chloride solution and pressed to eliminate the water content before being frozen.

After it is thaw then the water will naturally separated, but it still needs to be washed using potassium chloride solution. Last it will be chopped then dried using hot air to create the kappa refined carrageenan end product. But because of those processes, then the end product also contains more potassium chloride compared to other type of carrageenan. But it is still have the same if not better ability when used as ingredient in several products.