Carrageenan Supplier in Malaysia
- Also known as
- Carrageenin
- E407
- Irish Moss Extract
Carrageenan supplier for dairy, processed meat, dessert, pet food and personal-care formulators in Malaysia. Also written carrageenin and identified as E407 for refined material or E407a for processed Eucheuma seaweed, it is a family of sulphated galactan polysaccharides extracted from red seaweed.
Buyers specify it along two axes: type and refinement. Kappa builds firm, rigid gels with potassium, iota builds soft elastic gels with calcium, and lambda thickens without gelling. Refined grades give clearer solutions, while semi-refined grades retain the seaweed cellulose and are chosen where clarity matters less than cost.
Dairy plants use it to suspend cocoa and stabilise chocolate milk, ice cream and condensed milk, and meat processors use it in injection brines for water binding and yield. Water gels, jellies, canned pet food, plant-based drinks, toothpaste and oral suspensions draw on the same grade range. Blends standardised with sugars or potassium chloride are also traded to a declared gel strength.
Send the type, refinement level, gel-strength or viscosity target, application, quantity and delivery point with your enquiry. Packing, documentation, availability and timing follow with the quotation. Supply is subject to applicable requirements.
- CAS number
- 9000-07-1
- Grade
- refined, semi-refined, food
- Appearance
- off-white to beige free-flowing powder
Carrageenan grades and forms
We supply several forms to suit different formulating and dosing setups. If you need a size that is not listed, ask us.
| Grade | Form | Assay | Typical use | Packing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kappa carrageenan | fine off-white powder | — | Firm, rigid gels that set in the presence of potassium ions, used for water jellies, dessert gels, meat brines and bakery glazes. State the target gel strength and the salt system the gel has to work in. | Pack format is confirmed with the quotation. |
| Iota carrageenan | off-white powder | — | Soft, elastic and shear-thinning gels formed with calcium ions, chosen for dairy desserts, custards, cream fillings and pourable sauces that must recover body after stirring. | Pack format is confirmed with the quotation. |
| Lambda carrageenan | off-white powder | — | Thickening and mouthfeel without gelation, used where viscosity and body are wanted in cold dairy drinks, dressings and liquid systems that must stay pourable. | Pack format is confirmed with the quotation. |
| Refined carrageenan (E407) | off-white powder | — | Applications that need a clear solution and low insoluble matter, such as transparent water gels, beverages, toothpaste and pharmaceutical suspensions. The extract is recovered by precipitation rather than left in the seaweed matrix. | Pack format is confirmed with the quotation. |
| Semi-refined carrageenan (processed Eucheuma seaweed, E407a) | beige to tan powder | — | Cost-led gelling and water binding where solution clarity is not critical, typically brine-injected meat and poultry, canned pet food and opaque gelled products. The insoluble seaweed cellulose is retained. | Pack format is confirmed with the quotation. |
| Standardised carrageenan blend | standardised powder blend | — | Dosing at a declared gel strength or viscosity, with the extract standardised using sugars, potassium chloride or salt so that batch-to-batch performance holds in a fixed recipe. Send the declared value the plant currently works to. | Pack format is confirmed with the quotation. |
How to buy carrageenan from ChemTrade
Request a quote for carrageenan
Use the form below to request a quotation. You can also email sales@chemtrademalaysia.com or send us a message on WhatsApp.
Specifications
| Parameter | Value | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Appearance | off-white to beige free-flowing powder, darker on semi-refined material | — |
| Chemical nature | sulphated galactan polysaccharides extracted from red seaweed, principally Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum | — |
| CAS number | 9000-07-1, cited for the carrageenan family rather than a single molecule | — |
| Food additive codes | E407 for refined carrageenan and E407a for processed Eucheuma seaweed | — |
| Solution behaviour | hydrates in hot water; kappa gels with potassium ions, iota gels with calcium ions and lambda thickens without gelling | — |
| Grade controls | type, refinement route, gel strength, viscosity, particle size, moisture and colour confirmed against the required specification | — |
Carrageenan applications
Safety and handling
Store sealed in a cool, dry place away from moisture and strong odours, since the powder picks up water and hydrates on contact. Control airborne dust when charging and follow the safety information issued for the quoted grade.
Common questions about carrageenan
What is the difference between kappa, iota and lambda carrageenan?
They are three types of the same hydrocolloid family with different sulphation patterns. Kappa sets a firm, brittle gel with potassium, iota sets a soft and elastic gel with calcium, and lambda does not gel at all and is used purely to thicken. Tell us the texture the product needs and the salts already in the recipe.
Is carrageenan the same as agar agar?
No, they are different products, although both are extracted from red seaweed. Agar sets a firm thermoreversible gel without depending on potassium or calcium, and it comes from other seaweed genera. If a formulation calls for agar, order agar rather than substituting a carrageenan type.
What is the difference between refined and semi-refined carrageenan?
Both are grades of the same product and differ in how the extract is recovered. Refined material is precipitated away from the seaweed residue and gives clearer solutions, while semi-refined material retains the insoluble cellulose and is normally chosen for meat, pet food and other opaque systems where cost matters more than clarity.
How does carrageenan compare with sodium alginate or xanthan gum?
Those are separate hydrocolloids with their own pages and their own behaviour. Alginate gels with calcium and is extracted from brown seaweed, xanthan thickens across a wide pH range without gelling, and carrageenan is selected when a heat-set, cation-dependent gel or a dairy-reactive stabiliser is wanted.
Why does carrageenan need potassium or calcium in the formulation?
Gelation depends on the counter-ion. Kappa needs potassium to form its helical network, and iota needs calcium, which is why a water gel that fails to set is often a salt problem rather than a dosage problem. State the salt and mineral content of the system when specifying a type.
Which carrageenan type suits dairy applications?
Kappa carrageenan reacts with milk protein and is widely used to suspend cocoa and stabilise chocolate milk at very low dosage, while iota is chosen for the softer set wanted in dairy desserts and custards. Lambda is used where only body and mouthfeel are required in a liquid.
What details are needed for a carrageenan quotation?
Send the type, refinement level, target gel strength or viscosity with the test method, the application, quantity and delivery point. Add any particle size, colour or documentation requirement so the quotation covers the whole specification rather than the material alone.