E407 - Carrageenan

Functions: Carrier, Emulsifier, Humectant, Stabiliser, Thickener

Carrageenans or carrageenins - karr-ə-gee-nənz, from Irish carraigín, "little rock"- are a family of linear sulfated polysaccharides that are extracted from red edible seaweeds. They are widely used in the food industry, for their gelling, thickening, and stabilizing properties. Their main application is in dairy and meat products, due to their strong binding to food proteins. There are three main varieties of carrageenan, which differ in their degree of sulfation. Kappa-carrageenan has one sulfate group per disaccharide, iota-carrageenan has two, and lambda-carrageenan has three. Gelatinous extracts of the Chondrus crispus -Irish moss- seaweed have been used as food additives since approximately the fifteenth century. Carrageenan is a vegetarian and vegan alternative to gelatin in some applications or may be used to replace gelatin in confectionery. - Wikipedia

Risk of overexposure

EFSA evaluation: Re‐evaluation of carrageenan -E 407- and processed Eucheuma seaweed -E 407a- as food additives (2018/04/26)

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has determined that some population groups have a high risk of consuming too much E407 - Carrageenan.

To evaluate your exposure to the E407 - Carrageenan food additive, you can browse our list of products that contain it. See the list of products with E407 - Carrageenan below.

	Infants	Toddlers	Children	Adolescents	Adults	Elderly
	< 1	1 to 2	3 to 9	10 to 17	18 to 64	65+
Most people (over 50%)
Some people (over 5%)

: Risk of exceeding the acceptable daily intake (ADI)

Names: Carraghénanes, Carraghénane, Mousse d'Irlande, Eucheuman (d'Eucheuma spp.), Iridophycan (d'Iridaea spp.) Hypnean (d'Hypnea spp.), Furcellaran, mousse du Danemark (de Furcellaria fastigiata), Carraghénane (de Chondrus et Gigartina spp.)