Kat Libby Outline Basic anatomy and background of Chondrus crispus Review of carrageenan and its uses Harvesting Processing Why we care about algae The Future of Carrageenan What is Irish Moss? Chondrus crispus and Gigartina stellata are often processed together as Irish Moss Found in the North Atlantic Newfoundland to New Jersey Norway to North African coast Just below the water to 20‐30 feet deep Choppy wave action gives it short branches Anatomy of Irish Moss • Red algae, colored by phycobiliproteins • Relatively small, slightly resembles parsley • Membranaceous and dichotomously branched • Short stipe and small holdfast • About 80% water, 20% gelatinous material • Negligible amounts of vitamins, nitrogen, calcium, fats • Large number of minerals, nutritive • Major source of carrageenan! What is Carrageenan? A hydrophilic sulfated polyanionic phycocolloid Simply, a gel‐like substance used in suspension of liquids composed of two galactose sugars Main structural component of cell walls 20‐40% ester sulfates Structure of Carageenan Main Types of Carrageenan λ‐carrageenan Not sensitive to cations Viscous, non‐gelling solutions κ‐carrageenan Potassium sensitive Brittle gels ι‐carrageenan Calcium sensitive Elastic gels Three others are precursors to these final types Uses of Carrageenan Dairy products Puddings and jellies Baby foods Tanning industry Dietetic foods Personal hygiene products Instant foods Pharmaceutical tablets Pastries and candy Cough syrup Cosmetics Popsicles Textiles Mineral emulsions Industrial gels Clarifier of alcoholic beverages Viscosity control Soft drinks Beer foam stabilizer Fruit juice Aging of spirits Cake and pie fillings Bakery products Caramels Sausage Condiments and dressings Antibiotic ice Canned fish and meat Harvesng Major U.S. suppliers Scituate and Kingston, MA Rockland and Portland, ME Other suppliers in Ireland, France, and Canada Harvesting originated in Ireland, then introduced to the US in 1835 Season runs May through September Higher concentrations of carrageenan due to active metabolism During ebb tide, specialized rakes are used to scrape the algae off rocks and onto small boats Processing Washed in sea‐water, dried and bleached with sulfites or sun Mainly unbleached‐ increases output of carrageenan Salts control the gelling process so the plants must be protected from rainwater Carrageenan is extracted by water extraction, i.e. diffusion The addition of potassium makes a stronger gel Gel extract marketed and sold Why do we care? Industry prominently based in United States Algae responsible for half of all oxygen production Carrageenan is in everything… Potential medical treatments The Future of Carrageenan Passes through digestive system unaltered, adding no caloric value to foods 6% utilization in humans (Swartz, 1994) However, has high nutritive value Antiviral, antitumor, anticoagulant, and immunomodulation activities discovered (Schaeffer and Krylov, 2000; Zhou et al., 2004, 2005) Quesons .