Today at structures of many food products there are different nutritional supplements designated by letter "E" and figures corresponding to the type. Some mistakenly consider all similar designations harmful, however it not absolutely so. In our article it will be a question of all to the known E407 additive.
What is carrageenan?
E407 additive can be designated so — sodium salt or potassium salt. It was opened at the end of the last century, however still actively investigated. Carrageenan represents natural thickener which is extracted by means of special processing of the red seaweed of the Rhodophyceae family growing in the warm seas.
The main place of collecting are the Philippine Islands, Chile, Indonesia and Canada. Today about 3 thousand types of this thickener are known: each of them has a certain structure and the chemical composition.
Whether you know? The first factories where processed these seaweed in large volumes, were built in the thirties the last century in the USA. Today their scales of activity constantly grow.
Advantage and harm
The opinion on E407 additive is not uniform therefore everyone has to know positive and negative sides of carrageenan that for itself(himself) to make the decision on a possibility of the use of food with its presence at structure.
Than the stabilizer is useful
This natural thickener is capable to turn in one moment different components into weight with uniform consistence. In addition, carrageenan increases viscosity and is an important component for some food which cannot be stored long, but at the same time they need long saving.
Exactly thanks to E407 yogurts and other products have rather long term of realization and at the same time keep initial presentation and taste. Besides this stabilizer is important for production: thanks to it cost of the product significantly goes down that raises direct earnings. This component facilitates giving to a product of the greatest possible smooth texture and also emphasizes its natural aroma.
Whether it is harmful
In spite of the fact that some sources assure that the naturalness of this additive does it completely harmless to a human body, some have also opposite opinion on this question. The main harm is the ability to provoke failures in work of a GIT.
Researches of scientists of America showed that there is a certain type of carrageenan — degradirovanny which provokes the beginning of different problems with a stomach and intestines. This nutritional supplement can cause inflammatory processes in an organism.
Important! Today the World Health Organization opposes use of E407 additive in production of food.
Besides carrageenan in the course of decomposition emits dangerous substances which can provoke development about 100 different diseases, including such as atherosclerosis and arthritis.
Scope
Initially sodium salt was used only in pharmaceutical and chemical industry, however now the scope significantly extended.
It will be useful for you to learn that berries of a sloe bring sodium salts out of a human body.
This additive is considered irreplaceable in the following productions:
- Here it is used as a jellifying element, most often adding at preparation of mousses and jelly candies.
- Sausages, sausages and other meat products. The main function is the delay of fats and prevention of strong evaporation of moisture. Producers add this component for receiving bigger profit.
- Dairy products. It is brought in the form of the tekstiruyushchy agent who allows to receive excellent cream consistence.
- It is applied to production of air fresheners, structures of gel consistence for hair and different toothpastes.
Sometimes this additive is applied in construction industry where use in the form of the stabilizer by production of foam concrete. Do it for obtaining the best stickiness.
Important! Use of the considered additive obliges the producer to specify in a compounding of meat products on packing "the stabilizer carrageenan" or "E407 stabilizer". In case of lack of such marking the products are considered counterfeited.
Proceeding from the above, it is recommended to choose food with the minimum quantity of additives as carrageenan is under a ban in many European countries: each person has to be responsible for the health.