Thickener / stabilizer
Also known as: E407, E 407, Irish moss extract, carrageenin, carageenan, Chondrus extract, processed Eucheuma seaweed (E 407a)
Carrageenan is a family of sulfated polysaccharides extracted from red seaweeds (e.g., Chondrus crispus, Eucheuma) used as a gelling, thickening, and stabilizing agent in foods such as dairy alternatives, deli meats, and infant formula. Food-grade (high-molecular-weight) carrageenan is approved as a food additive (E 407) by EFSA, FDA, and JECFA, though it is distinct from the unapproved degraded form (poligeenan).
Carrageenan, degraded - Group 2B (possibly carcinogenic to humans); the available data provide sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of degraded carrageenan in rats, while native (undegraded) carrageenan is Group 3.
IARC classifies degraded carrageenan (poligeenan) as Group 2B, possibly carcinogenic to humans, based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in rats; native food-grade carrageenan is Group 3.
Studies have indicated that it can cause gastrointestinal inflammation, and laboratory research in animals has shown ulcerative colitis-like disease and intestinal lesions and ulcerations in some animals.
Consumer Reports warns carrageenan's safety is questionable, citing studies linking it to gastrointestinal inflammation and animal research showing ulcerative colitis-like disease and intestinal lesions.
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