Stabilizers & Fibers
Lambda Carrageenan in gelato
Lambda carrageenan is a non-gelling, cold- and hot-water-soluble polysaccharide extracted from red seaweed. In gelato it acts as a secondary stabilizer that binds water and casein to give body and creaminess without gelling the mix.
Balancing parameters
Per 100 g of product, verified against independent food-science sources (listed below).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Solids | 90% |
| Water | 10% |
| Sugars | 0% |
| Fat | 0% |
| MSNF | 0% |
| Protein | 0% |
| POD (sweetening power) | 0 |
| PAC (anti-freezing power) | 0 |
Typical use: 0.01-0.05% of the total mix (roughly 100-500 ppm); dairy ice cream is usually at the low end, around 0.01-0.02%, and lambda is almost always blended with other stabilizers rather than used alone.
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Open the balancerHow to use it in gelato
Lambda is the carrageenan of choice for dairy ice cream because, unlike the calcium-reactive kappa and iota fractions, it thickens rather than gels in the presence of milk salts. It is used at very low doses, typically as a co-stabilizer alongside locust bean gum and guar, mainly to prevent wheying-off (serum separation) and to add a rich, custard-like mouthfeel. Because it is a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide and not a sugar, it contributes essentially nothing to PAC (freezing point) or POD (sweetness); its effect is on water binding, viscosity and casein interaction, not on the hardness or scoopability driven by the sugar balance. Its solids load in the finished mix is negligible, so it does not meaningfully move total-solids targets.
Origin & background
Carrageenan takes its name from Carragheen (Irish 'carraigín,' meaning little rock), a coastal area of Ireland where Chondrus crispus (Irish moss) was traditionally boiled to thicken milk puddings. Industrial extraction of the three commercial fractions, kappa, iota and lambda, was established in the mid-20th century, and carrageenan is now regulated as food additive E 407 with specifications set by JECFA and EFSA.
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- https://www.fao.org/fileadmin/user_upload/jecfa_additives/docs/monograph4/additive-117-m4.pdf
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7009739/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/lambda-carrageenan
- https://www.icecreamgeek.com/stabilizers-in-ice-cream/
- https://underbelly-nyc.blogspot.com/2016/05/ice-cream-stabilizers.html