SeaSpen® Carrageenan Biopolymers

SeaSpen® Carrageenans are biopolymers that are water-soluble. They are harvested from Eucheuma spinosum, a species of red seaweed. SeaSpen® is a sustainable and renewable biopolymer, as its farming process replanting 10% of the farmed seaweed at the harvest site. SeaSpen® has several functional benefits for a wide range of industrial applications.
 

With its utility in gelation, preventing syneresis, stabilization, and rheology modification, SeaSpen® is a valued ingredient many different industrial formulations. SeaSpen® is an ideal replacement for many chemical additives derived from fossil fuels used in the development of agricultural concentrates, coatings, gelled formulations, inks, and more. 

For coatings and inks, SeaSpen® functions as a thickener and stabilizing additive and is great for controlling rheology while also providing stability to dispersions and emulsions for increased shelf life. Additionally, SeaSpen® can help to control syneresis in these formulations. When used in agricultural suspensions, SeaSpen® can also help to provide stability for active ingredients and is safe for the environment. For gel-based formulations such as air fresheners and insect baits, SeaSpen® serves as an ideal gelling agent. Being freeze-thaw stable, gels made with SeaSpen® provide long-lasting performance despite seasonal changes. SeaSpen® is also biodegradable and registered with the EPA and conforms to FDA 40 CFR 180.910, 180.920, and 180.930.

The SeaSpen® product line is an iota-carrageenan hydrocolloid that forms weak gels when heated above its solubility temperature in the presence of calcium ions. SeaSpen® can be added directly to hot water under shear to create homogenous aqueous solutions that when cooled, will form a gel through calcium-sulfonate bonds, creating a helical structure. At low concentrations, if SeaSpen® is added, it will behave like a thixotropic rheology modifier and thickening agent.

Learn more about SeaSpen® grades below, and check out this article to explore more about SeaSpen® as an option for sustainable chemistry.