（1） Application in cold drink food
In the production of ice cream, carrageenan can increase the shaping and melting resistance of ice cream, improve the stability of ice cream under temperature fluctuations. Carrageenan complexs with protein, control the aggregation and coagulation of oil, strengthen the dispersion of oil, control the interaction between oil and protein, and improve the stability of milk protein under heating; Improve foaming, form fine and stable bubbles, and thus increase the expansion rate; Help product molding and prevent shrinkage; Improve the expansion property, improve the structure, improve the uniformity, stability and melting resistance, make the fat and other solid components evenly distributed, prevent the separation of milk, prevent the ice crystals from increasing during the manufacturing and storage, make the ice cream fine in texture, good in structure, lubricating and palatable, and not easy to melt when placed, thus making the ice cream production more simple and reasonable, easy to operate, and conducive to control the quality. The usual dosage is 0.01%~0.03%.
（2） Application in meat products
Carrageenan can make the product elastic, good slicing, moderate toughness and crispness, tender and refreshing. Carrageenan is used for ham and ham sausage. The most important thing is to provide proper water retention. Because it can be complexed with protein, it provides a good organizational structure, which makes the product delicate, sliced well, and tastes good. It is a necessary additive for making ham.
In the application of whole muscle products production, carrageenan is added to meat products through saline injection. For this application, the most important thing is to keep carrageenan in an insoluble and dispersed state, so that the viscosity of brine can be maintained at a low level, so as to facilitate injection. κ- L-carrageenan is the ideal choice. The solubility (dispersion) of carrageenan in brine is controlled by adding phosphate (usually tripolyphosphate) and sodium chloride, and cold water below 5 ℃. The principle is that the ionic environment formed by the dissolution of phosphate and salt is conducive to the dispersion of carrageenan; High ion concentration prevents κ- Type I carrageenan molecule expands to keep it in a non-curly state, so that the viscosity of brine is low.
In fact, low-viscosity saline can prevent the formation of pressure, avoid needle occlusion, and reduce the tearing of connective tissue in the striated muscle bundle during the injection of multiple needles into the whole muscle. By controlling the temperature of brine and the adding sequence of ingredients, combined with appropriate injection treatment and drum massage technology, it can help different κ- The salt water with the content of carrageenan can play the greatest role. In addition, proper adjustment of carrageenan content in brine can also effectively control the water loss of cooked meat products to less than 5% of the total injection volume.
For improving the quality of meat products: Carrageenan is the key to produce and process meat products by producing gelling effect with protein and forming complete tissue structure of meat. The interaction between carrageenan and protein depends on a series of factors, including the degree of protein denaturation, ion type and concentration, pH, concentration, processing temperature, protein type and quality, etc. In short, by controlling the bond between the negatively charged sulfate group in carrageenan and the positively charged amino group in globulin with static electricity, the carrageenan structure can be provided with additional stability under appropriate environmental conditions.
The other type of carrageenan-protein bonding is formed by the connection between the sulfate group in carrageenan and the negatively charged carboxyl group distributed in the protein molecule. The commonly used divalent cation is calcium ion, and magnesium ion also has the same function. It is noteworthy that carrageenan-protein will coagulate or precipitate if the cation is added excessively, especially when hydrolyzed protein is used and over-treated (high heat).
ι- In the environment of high concentration of ions, such as salt water used for processing meat products, the molecular structure of carrageenan type I will expand, and some will dissolve, so that the viscosity of salt water is too high ι- With carrageenan salt water, many "tension marks" will appear in the products, resulting in poor and inferior soft tissue texture. Therefore, ι- Carrageenan is not suitable for saline injection of whole muscle or cooked meat products. On the contrary, for products made from the combination of full-shoulder lean meat and finely chopped meat, or fully chopped meat and finely chopped meat products (sausage or Frankfurt sausage) ι- Carrageenan, or ι- and κ- Carrageenan mixture (often used with synergists such as supplementary protein, gum or starch) can obtain the best meat texture and stability. Because all meat ingredients of these products are finely chopped and mixed with meat fillings or minced meat, the viscosity of salt water is not important, which is solved ι- The use of carrageenan. In most cases, all ingredients will be added to the meat in the equipment of mincing or chopping, so that the ingredients can be more evenly distributed before preparation and storage, and carrageenan can be more hydrated. When deep processing of shoulder meat or finely chopped meat products, muscle fibers will be cut into thin pieces, so that meat protein, water and carrageenan can play a greater role in each other, thus achieving better results.
In addition, the addition of l-carrageenan to mechanical boneless meat (MDM) can also improve the meat strength and water holding capacity of its processed products. If no ingredients are added, these meat quality characteristics are very poor. Used in MDM and other high-protein and low-fat meat products ι- Another advantage of type carrageenan is that it can control the fluidity of water in the finished product before and after cooking, and the stability of freezing and thawing of the product. At the same time, ι- Carrageenan can also imitate the characteristics of fat in low-fat meat products, giving consumers a taste of high-fat cooked meat products without fat calories. In addition, when used in high-fat meat products, such as sausages and small sausages, ι- Carrageenan can interact with lecithin to help meat products maintain emulsification and water stability, thus reducing cooking weight loss and making the finished products have better sensory acceptance. The meat sources of whole muscle, shoulder meat or chopped meat filling products can vary according to the quality requirements of the products or the tastes of consumers, such as pork, beef, mutton, etc., which can be processed separately, and can also be combined with ingredients with carrageenan as the basic stabilizer to produce meat products with different texture and nutritional value. Carrageenan is mostly used as the main stabilizer in the processing of whole meat, minced meat and mixed meat products to maintain the stability of water and meat quality. As for various poultry products, such as turkey, chicken and duck, because their protein hydration performance is worse than that of pork, beef and mutton, the auxiliary ingredients are needed to maintain the stability of meat quality and moisture. However, although the amount of carrageenan in deep-processed poultry products is higher than that in pork, beef and mutton products. However, according to the regulations, the overall content of carrageenan in meat products cannot exceed 1% of the total formula. In the processing formula with more moisture, additional protein and other synergists such as gum and starch can be added to control the effect of carrageenan on meat tissue and water stability.
（3） Application in dairy products
Carrageenan can make milk coagulate and form. It plays a suspension and stabilization role in cocoa milk, cocoa malt essence and cocoa confectionery paste. In yoghurt, soft cheese and cream, it can stabilize the milky mixture and induce the formation of gelation.
The cocoa powder of cocoa milk made with cocoa powder often precipitates, but adding carrageenan as a stabilizer can make the cocoa powder evenly dispersed in the milk and prevent the cocoa powder from sinking. Because carrageenan has a unique performance of complexing with casein in milk, it can prevent milk products (such as lactic acid drinks) from coagulating and precipitating. Carrageenan is the best stabilizer for protein.
（4） Application in fruit wine and beer production
Carrageenan can be used as clarifying agent and foam stabilizer. There are some colloidal substances in fruit wine and beer that make wine turbid and precipitate. Clarifier must be added for clarification. However, it is difficult to completely remove these substances with ordinary clarifiers, and it takes a long time. Carrageenan, as an auxiliary filter for clarification, can make the sedimentation complete and fast.
（5） Application in the production of artificial protein fiber and artificial meat
To produce artificial protein fiber, the protein solution must go through the aging process to increase the viscosity of the sol, which takes a long time and high cost, and it is difficult to spin when the protein concentration is low or the protein is impure. After adding carrageenan and alginate, the protein solution does not need to go through the aging process. The protein with low concentration or without purification can also be used for spinning, and can also improve the strength and water absorption of the spun fiber. For example, the degreased peanut kernel is used as the raw material, the protein is extracted with pH8.5 dilute alkaline solution, filtered to remove the residue, and the filtrate is added with a proper amount of carrageenan and alginate, heated, cooled, and filtered. The viscosity of the solution is between 0.1 and 0.5 Pa · s. The protein solution is sprayed into the coagulant through the spinneret, and then washed to obtain artificial protein fiber. The pressed soybean, cottonseed and milk protein can also be used to produce artificial protein fiber.
With artificial protein fiber, you can further use it to produce artificial meat. At this time, carrageenan is used as an adhesive. Because carrageenan has a sulfate group on its molecule, it can combine with protein molecules to form a complex, thus connecting protein fibers together, forming a block, and forming artificial meat.
（6） Used to produce fruit jelly and pudding
Carrageenan becomes the gel agent of jelly because of its unique gel characteristics. The fruit jelly made of carrageenan is elastic and has no water separation property.