|
|
Article: Carrageenan in foods: response. (Correspondence).
- Article from:
- Environmental Health Perspectives
- Article date:
- April 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Carrageenan has been the subject of significant investigation for several decades, and the complexity pertaining to it may have impeded our ability to form a clear impression about its harmful effects. In rodent models, there is clear evidence that degraded carrageenan can induce ulcerations and neoplasms. Also, there is clear evidence that food-grade carrageenan can be broken down to degraded carrageenan by acid hydrolysis and by bacteria, and degraded carrageenan is likely to contaminate food-grade carrageenan. Although most of our concerns about carcinogenic exposures arise in relation to the unmetabolized product, the situation with carrageenan requires some extension ...