The role of carrageenan in jelly production

　　Carrageenan, as a good coagulant, can replace agar, gelatin and pectin. Jelly made of agar has insufficient elasticity and high price; The disadvantage of jelly made of gelatin is its low solidification and melting point, and it needs low temperature refrigeration for preparation and storage. The disadvantage of pectin is that it needs to add sugar with high solubility and adjust the appropriate pH value to solidify. Carrageenan does not have these shortcomings, and the jelly made of carrageenan is elastic and has no water separation, so it has become a commonly used gel for jelly.

　　Attention should be paid to the following points when carrageenan is applied in jelly:

　　First, because carrageenan belongs to konjac gum system, its solubility is relatively low, so it should be kept warm. If the heat preservation time is not enough and the dissolution is not complete, the taste of the jelly will be bad, which will seriously cause the jelly to be tender and not shaped; But at the same time, if the heat preservation time is too long, carrageenan is alkaline or a buffer such as sodium citrate is added, deacetylation and denaturation will easily occur, resulting in the phenomenon of "egg drop soup", and jelly may still not be formed. Therefore, it is suggested not to keep warm after boiling in summer, and keep warm for 10min after boiling in winter, with the spring and autumn in between.

　　Second, because carrageenan is not acid-resistant, the lower the acid adding temperature, the better, generally before filling jelly at 70℃-80℃ or according to actual technological conditions, otherwise the carrageenan will be easily destroyed at higher temperature, which will affect the taste. At the same time, it is suggested that citric acid should be added after being dissolved in water to avoid local over-acid. Adjusting the pH value is generally not lower than 4, and other colloids should be used to assist in the need of a more sour taste; Pasteurization will also affect the taste, which needs to be adjusted according to the actual situation.

　　The third is filtering. After boiling, the feed liquid is filtered with a sieve, the purpose of which is to remove insoluble konjac gum particles and obtain relatively transparent jelly, which can obtain the transparent effect of some high-grade jellies.

　　Application of soft candy

　　Carrageenan as transparent fruit soft candy has been produced in China for a long time. Its fruit has strong fragrance, moderate sweetness, refreshing taste and non-sticky, and its transparency is better than that of agar, and its price is lower than that of agar. Adding carrageenan to ordinary hard candy and soft candy can make the product taste smooth, more elastic, less sticky and more stable.

　　Attention should be paid when carrageenan is used in soft candy:

　　First, the soft candy powder, mainly carrageenan, is not easy to dissolve under high sugar concentration, so it is suggested to dissolve it with water first, otherwise it is easy to produce "trachoma", that is, small colloidal particles one by one.

　　carrageenin

　　Carrageenan (3 sheets)

　　Second, the content of reducing sugar is too low, and it is easy to return to sand for a long time; The content of reducing sugar is too high, and it is easy to be molded when boiling sugar.

　　Third, color materials, such as carrot sauce, can be added after the glue boiling, but the proportion of soft candy powder should be calculated.