The carrageenan we use is perfectly safe and in very small quantities. It has been used for centuries in foods, studied extensively and approved by all food safety agencies. There are two types of carrageenan, food safe undegraded carrageenan, which is the one we use, and degraded carrageenan (poligeenan), which is not a food product. There has been confusion and controversy about the ingredient, mainly due to an article by Dr. Joanne Tobacman, which confused the types and pulled incorrect conclusions from data.
The two have stark differences, and nothing highlights these, like how they are made. Carrageenan is minimally processed and can be made in a kitchen; it was extracted and used in flan deserts by the Irish in the 1800s. To create it, the seaweed is harvested and then washed to remove salt and sand. It is then cooked in hot water and pressed like coffee to extract the carrageenan and water. The carrageenan is recovered from the water and then purified and dried. It's a natural substance approved for use in organic foods in most countries.
On the other hand, Poligeenan is made by the harsh acid degradation of carrageenan. To make poligeenan, carrageenan is first dissolved in water. The solution is then acidified to a pH of about 1.0 and heated to a temperature of 90°C. The solution is held at this temperature for up to 6 hours. During this time, the acid degrades the carrageenan, resulting in a low-molecular-weight polymer called poligeenan. The resulting poligeenan solution is then neutralised and spray-dried to a fine powder.
As you can see from how poligeenan is made, the unsubstantiated claims that carrageenan can degrade in the digestive tract into poligeenan are false. The conditions required simply do not exist in the human body.
Carrageenan is one of the most studied food additives in use, which considering it's an ancient, natural, plant-based ingredient, shows how out of hand the controversy has got. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), an independent international panel of expert toxicologists that reviews data and makes recommendations regarding food ingredients, evaluated Dr. Tobacman's research on carrageenan. The evaluation included an assessment of the degradation of carrageenan and the potentially harmful effects of carrageenan on the gastrointestinal tract, which had been the subject of public speculation. The JECFA committee concluded that the studies on carrageenan used high levels of degraded carrageenan (poligeenan).
The JECFA assigned carrageenan an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of "not specified," which is the most favourable category. The European Union has established an ADI of 0-75mg/kg body weight and allows carrageenan to be used as needed. For a 60 kg individual, that would be 4500 mg. There is approximately 37 mg in a capsule. Therefore only 0.8% of the EU's ADI.
In addition, there have been concerns about some suppliers of mainstream carrageenan being contaminated with undegraded sources. We have ensured this is not the case with ours by ensuring the whole supply chain is guaranteed free from undegraded carrageenan during manufacture.
In summary, carrageenan is a highly researched, natural and safe food additive, but public opinion has been damaged. We have researched the subject extensively and would not use an ingredient if there was any scientific evidence to substantiate that it posed any danger. We care dearly about our customers and use these products, as do our family and friends.
We are exploring avenues to remove the ingredient because of public opinion. Still, it is a shame as it could lead to a more expensive and less stable product for our customers for no real reason.